post-mayor’s cup
Days after the conclusion of the 2017 Cebu City Mayor’s Cup Commercial Basketball Tournament, the city’s basketball scene has reverted to being idle once more — a state that is lamented by some of Cebu’s most experienced and decorated players.
Mark Jonas Ababon, the aforementioned tournament’s Most Valuable Player, said that he pities today’s crop of talented ballers, who now have to resort to barnstorming different leagues — an act more commonly known around these parts as “panalay” — around the region after exhausting their playing eligibility in the collegiate ranks.
“It’s important that the basketball scene in Cebu be brought back,” said the former cager of the University of the Visayas who had the benefit of playing in Cebu’s esteemed commercial leagues — the Cebu Basketball Federation, the Cebu Basketball Association and the Cebu Basketball League — during his time.
“Being able to play in those leagues really made a huge difference in my career. It was a stepping stone for me to eventually play in the PBL (Philippine Basketball League) and the Liga Pilipinas,” added Ababon, whose career reached its penultimate height when he suited up for Granny Goose during the PBL’s 2005-2006 season.
Ababon said that he hopes that today’s batch of basketball players would be able to experience playing in different leagues apart from the Cesafi.
“Our fresh graduates here, they’re very talented. But without the benefit of having tournaments here in Cebu, they’re forced to play-for-pay alongside us old guys. It’s a waste,” Ababon noted.
Janjan Auditor, another collegiate standout who’s a regular on the “panalay” scene, said Cebu City should have more competitions than the province, not the other way around.
“They have a lot of potential but just lack both experience and exposure. We’re supposed to be the hoops hotbed outside of Manila but sadly, there are far more tournaments being held in the provinces than here in the city itself,” observed Auditor, who suited up and won a title playing with current PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo with the University of Cebu.
“If only more leagues were established, it would go a long way towards helping players out here in the hopes of getting them to the next level,” he added.
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