By Jerome Lagunzad
Led by current UAAP and NCAA titleholders, the country’s creme de la creme in high school basketball takes center stage in the 6th Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship that gets going on Dec. 16 at the SGS gym in Quezon City.
Reigning champion Far Eastern University-Diliman intends to sustain its winning tradition while newly-minted NCAA titlist La Salle-Greenhills aims to make its presence felt in the 12-strong field made tougher by the entry of Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) champion University of Visayas.
“This is a good achievement for us, the organizers, to have a new team coming from Cebu. It means that we’re really making noise not only here in Manila but also in the provinces as well,” league chairman Rudy Yu said yesterday during the press launch at the ShaTin Courtyard in Sto. Domingo, Quezon City.
Inaugural tourney champion Hope Christian High School is back in the hunt along with perennial UAAP contender National University aside from traditional NCAA powerhouse Mapua, San Beda and Letran.
Former titlist Chiang Kai Shek School and fellow Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) member Manila Patriotic School are also in contention along with University of Santo Tomas and another team which has yet to be named.
“The secondary league in the country is very viable. It’s even stronger than the seniors division. There are more tournaments in the high school than in the college right now,” said long-time Commissioner Ato Badolato.
The six-day tourney, supported by Davies Paints, Choi Garden and Molten, offers P50,000 cash to the eventual champion while the bridesmaid finisher will receive P30,000 cash and a trophy while the third-placer will take home P20,000 and a trophy.
The protagonists will be divided into four groups, with FEU, San Beda and MPS pooled in Group A; NU, Letran and CKSC in Group B; UST, Mapua and UV in Group C, and; UP, La Salle-Greenhills and HCHS in Group D.
