Preseason games of Leyte’s largest basketball tourney start Jan. 20 

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The preseason of Leyte’s largest basketball tilt, the OCCCI D-League Inter-School Invitational Basketball Tournament, will kick off tomorrow, Jan. 20, 2023, at the Ormoc Superdome in Ormoc City. 

According to OCCCI’s Arlex Doroja, they’re able to draw 23 teams that will strut their wares in the pre-season tournament.

The tip-off of the OCCCI Inter-School Invitational Basketball Tournament inaugural season is targeted to kick off next month and onwards in various venues around Leyte in Tacloban, Ormoc, Biliran, and Maasin. 

This time, the preseason tournament will serve as a dry run for the organizers. 

Most of the teams competing are in the high school division with 15 squads vying in three brackets. The college division has five teams, while three in the elementary. 

“Mapun-an pa ni sila sa regular season. Naay nangapil pero wala pa nakaandam. Wala pa mi makacome up sa total number sa teams. Pero sa numbers karon, mas modaghan,” said Doroja. 

(More teams will be added in the regular season. There are those who joined but were not prepared yet. We had not yet come up with the total number of the teams. But with the numbers now, more will join.)

“Nakafocus mi karon sa pre-season sa number of teams nirespond labi na sa high school,” he said.

(We are focusing now on the number of teams that responded in the pre-season, especially in high school.)

It can be recalled that the OCCCI Sheermasters, the pro team of the OCCCI visited Cebu last November to do numerous sports-related charity works at the Sisters of Mary School (SMS) Boystown and Girlstown in South Cebu. 

At the same time, they also announced their major basketball tournament. 

Before the preseason, the organizers of the tournament have been ramping up their preparation since last year. They’ve conducted a coaches and referee refresher course to prepare their stakeholders. 

For the preseason tomorrow, it will last until Jan. 22, with the championship matches slated on Feb. 4-5 to be held on the same venue.

RELATED STORIES

PBA’s Bolick, Red Lions coach Fernandez to hold coaching clinic in Leyte

Sheer Masters: From donating uniforms to organizing regionwide basketball tournament

Sheermasters to visit SMS Boystown, Girlstown, donate sports equipment, hold clinic

CDO Kingfishers maul Ormoc Sheermasters to lead PSL 21-U teams in standings

Lebron Nieto leads Ateneo rout of UP in UAAP juniors’ basketball

/dbs