Newly formed CBA to give promising Cebuano players the needed exposure

Organizers, headed by commissioner Pido Jarencio (seated, fifth from left), and coaches of the Community Basketball Association gather at the Chika-an restaurant in Parkmall after their very first meeting.
contributed

Cebu basketball is about to get a boost with the staging of the Community Basketball Association (CBA).

The Visayas leg of the CBA is tentatively slated to tip off on January 12. Games will be aired on TV by IBC 13.

CBA Commissioner Pido Jarencio said the league is a perfect avenue for promising Cebuano players to showcase their talents.

“Gusto namin ibalik ang Cebu basketball para sumikat na naman through CBA,” said Jarencio, a former PBA player and currently the head coach of the Northport Batang Pier. (We want to bring back Cebu basketball so it will be famous again through the CBA.)

There will be also other legs to be held such as the one in Manila, which kicks off on December 22.

But unlike the other legs, which will not be imposing any age limits on its participants, the Visayas leg will instead strive to give up-and-coming players a platform to show off their talent.

With this, organizers and the prospective coaches agreed on letting players aged 21-and-under compete in this tournament. The idea was broached by coaches who attended the organizational meeting on Tuesday night, most of whom are coaching in the Cebu Governor’s Cup 21 and Under Inter Cities/Municipalities Basketball Tournament.

A whopping P2 million will be awarded to the national champion, half of which will be pledged to the barangay or public school that the champion team has chosen to partner with.

Taking charge of the Visayas leg will be Pinoy Youth Dreamers Director and CBA Visayas Governor Beaujing Acot. The tournament directors will be Marvin Caro and Rommel Rasmo.

With teams already in place, the race is now on as to who will get to join the tournament first with just 12 teams for the Visayas leg being accepted.