Jacob Cortez of the RonBucz basketball team goes for a difficult layup during their CYBL championship game. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The organizer of the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL), Popoy Navarro, lauded the huge improvements of the competing teams in the recently concluded CYBL 2024 March Madness hoopla.
Navarro, the son of the late sportsman Rico Navarro, also commended the record number 130 teams, from around the Visayas that took part in the league.
In an interview with CDN Digital, Navarro said that they saw the teams’ competitiveness and the huge improvements in their skills and teamwork throughout the league.
For him, this is a testament that their basketball program effectively developed the youth.
READ: CYBL March Madness 2024 unfolds on Saturday
“One thing I believe that sets CYBL apart is that the teams that compete are solid teams that are built the right way,” said Navarro.
Milestone year for CYBL
It was also a milestone year for CYBL for attracting a record number 130 teams from around the Visayas.
READ: Bigger, better CYBL 2024 edition to unfold in March
“Nakita jud namo ang improvements sa bata sa karong march madness versus their previous performances sa CYBL. For example, the RonBucz U17 team lost the finals last year but [they made] their core came back and dominated this year. Same with Batang Mandirigma U13, a ballclub from Lapu-Lapu. Never pa sila kaabot sa finals sa una, only reaching semis permi,” Navarro said.
Three-peat title run
RonBucz team of Ronald Bucao, one of the coaches of the Palarong Pambansa-bound University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers, stole the league’s spotlight for their three-peat title run in the under-15 and also for topping the U17 division.
They manhandled TJAV, 80-55, in last weekend’s U15 championship game at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) gymnasium and beat their rivals, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles, 68-60, to rule the U17 division at the Cebu City Sports Institute gymnasium.
Ronbucz’s u13 team placed second after bowing down to Batang Mandirigma, 43-73, in the finals at the CCSI.
The other champion team in last weekend’s finale was the USPF Panthers which lorded the U18 and U20 divisions.
The Panthers routed the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats, 74-52, in the U18 division at their homecourt in the USPF Lahug gymnasium.
They also topped the U20 by dominating the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute Of Technology (SC-SIT), 74-52, at the same venue.
“Nag build jud sila ug team and they reached that goal. It’s always a good thing to see our youth players improve through the years and this CYBL March Madness is a good example of that,” Navarro said.