Though the details have yet to be hammered out, Cebu’s close-knit basketball community and even basketball patrons from across the country are buzzing with excitement with the approval of the creation of the PBA Visayas-Mindanao D-League.
With the PBA Board of Directors and League Commissioner Chito Narvasa giving the Visayas-Mindanao league the go signal, plans are underway to get the tournament’s maiden season off the ground during the first quarter of next year.
However, it remains to be seen if Cebu’s finest collegiate players will get to suit up, as Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy reiterated that active players could not play in the D-League or risk having
their eligibility revoked.
Cebu Daily News went around and asked several Cesafi coaches about their thoughts on the matter.
“I think the players should be allowed to play,” said University of San Carlos (USC) head coach Rommel Rasmo. “At the end of the day, it’s the Cesafi that stands to benefit most from this. The players get more experience and become better when they return to play in the Cesafi. A lot more fans will come to watch since the level of play is better.”
University of the Visayas’ (UV) brain trust of a head coach Gary Cortes and lead assistant Van Halen Parmis also agreed that the arrival of the D-League down south would open up massive opportunities for those aspiring to make it to the pro level.
“Maybe we could let senior players play already. Also, it will give chances to those players who just graduated or don’t have any more playing years left. It will give hope to those who haven’t given up on their basketball dreams,” Cortes said.
“This is good not just for Cebu-based players but also those from Mindanao. The more leagues we have, the better especially for those in the Cesafi. But first, we really have to do something to change that ruling that prohibits Cesafi players from playing in commercial leagues,” Parmis added.
The head coaches of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) and the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) also agreed with the notion of having their players suit up in the upcoming league.
“I believe that they should since this is a fresh and aggressive league, and it would also help the players become more conditioned in time for the Cesafi,” said USPF head coach Albert Alocillo.
“In my opinion, if it’s during the off-season, then it’s a good venue for players to showcase their talent. In the end, it’s the goal of every basketball player to make it to the PBA or even the D-League,” said CIT-U’s mentor Bembem Alcaraz.
University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) assistant and former pro Leode Garcia said that the main benefit of letting collegiate players play in commercial leagues is that they will become more mature, quicker.
Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma athletic director Mike Reyes said that the Cesafi should allow their players to play in the D-League if they want them to become more competitive. However, Reyes proposed a caveat. “A Cesafi player has to play in Cesafi for two years to be eligible for Vis-Min D-League,” said Reyes.
The development was not lost on several basketball personalities outside of Cebu, including recently named TnT Ka Tropa head coach, Nash Racela. The current head coach of the reigning UAAP champions Far Eastern University Tamaraws has recruited players from Cebu, notably TnT draft pick Roger Pogoy and current Tams Jasper Parker, Ron Dennison, Monbert Arong, Kevin Ebona and Raymar Jose.
“I think the benefit is that players will become eligible for the PBA Draft without having to go to Manila assuming they played two conferences in D-League Cebu. Other than that, it depends really on the kind of setup they will have,” Racela shared.
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