Local basketball coaches and CYBL organizers pose for a photo during one of their meetings for its 2024 edition. | Photo from CYBL Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — One of Cebu’s premier grassroots basketball tilts, the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) promises to be bigger and grander in season 2024 that will unfold on March 16 at the old Sacred Heart School campus gymnasium.
Popoy Navarro, the main organizer of the CYBL, announced that they have partnered with the Chairman’s Cup Philippines Tournament along with numerous innovations to further bolster the level of their tournament.
In an interview with CDN Digital, Navarro, the son of the late sportsman and CYBL founder Rico Navarro, said that they partnered with the Chairman’s Cup Philippines for their under-17 division for the first time in the league’s history since its founding in 2007.
“The champion of the CYBL March Madness 2024 U17 will proceed to play in the Chairman’s Cup Philippines National Tournament in June,” said Navarro.
“They will face the top teams from Iloilo, Palawan, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro.”
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In addition to this development, Navarro said that they added numerous innovations that he believes would level up the quality of Cebu’s grassroots basketball.
One of them is the players’ profile database system, which aims to monitor each player’s performance online as they grow older and advance in their basketball careers.
Furthermore, Navarro will implement the “No Zone Rule,” which was advocated by PBA Coaches Juno Sauler (Magnolia) and Norman Black (Meralco) to encourage youngsters to play man-to-man defense instead of zone defense, which is also in line with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ (SBP) grassroots program.
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“This 2024, we promise to deliver a better basketball experience for the kids – with better officiating and better quality of games,” added Navarro.
“Duwa lang ta! More than anything, this league was created in 2007 to give more games and exposure to the Cebu youth. I’m just continuing the spirit that my dad Rico Navarro started. We are very proud to say that we do not have a prize pool or prize money for our winners. We believe that the most valuable thing the kids can learn is how to win the right way – with good sportsmanship, creating friends with fellow basketball players, and having fun,” he said.
CYBL has produced countless Cebuano hardcourt talents throughout the years, including Roger Pogoy, Santi Santillan, and Kris Porter. Many of its talents now have flourishing collegiate careers in Cebu and Manila.
The league is expecting to draw around a hundred teams from Cebu, Leyte, and other parts of the Visayas in its under-13, under-15, under-17, under-18, and under-20 divisions.
“Proud kaayo ko personally to see CYBL alumni succeed. If you look at the collegiate scene in Manila and Cebu, almost all the teams have CYBL alums in their lineups, and they are leaders in the team. Diha jud ko proud sa nabuhat sa amo liga,” Navarro said.