After Cebu’s University of Visayas, PSSBC is hoping to invite a champion team from Mindanao in the near future.
“That’s the target and I believe that will make our tournament more interesting,” said PSSBC chairman Rudy Yu during Tuesday press launching at Sha Tin Courtyard in Sto. Domingo, Quezon City. “We have great players who came from Mindanao and we hope can invite its champion team so that its players will be exposed and challenged playing against Manila teams.”
The UV Baby Lancers are the first squad that will compete in the annual tournament dubbed as Dickies Underwear Cup after winning the CESAFI crown last October.
Among the Mindanao greats are former PBA MVP winner Kenneth Duremdes, 1954 world championship veteran Francisco Rabat and 1958 Tokyo Asian Games star Loreto Carbonell.
Yu has tasked veteran event manager Edster Sy to look for ways to invite a champion team from Mindanao. Davao City and Cagayan de Oro are Mindanao traditional powers.
“With his vast experiences in handling local and international events, I’m confident Edster Sy can handle the job,” said Yu.
Armed with a post graduate diploma in Sports and Recreational Management at De La Salle Professional School-Graduate School of Business, Sy handled the successful ASEAN Veterans Basketball Tournament last year, HeadStart Developmental Basketball League (HDBL), Chiang San Ching Memorial Basketball Tournament and Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation Basketball Tournament.
Aside from Yu, also sponsoring the event that will start on Dec. 16 are Terry Que of Rain or Shine, Jimi Lim of Ironcon Builders, Dr. Cecilio Pedro of Hapee Toothpaste, Dioceldo Sy of Blackwater, Jimmy dela Cruz of Jumbo Plastic Linoleum, Leoncio Chua of MEC Networks and Eduard Tio of Freego/Wrangler.
Also backing the event are Davies Paints and Choi Garden.