On a break

I am away for my annual sabbatical leave. My commentaries on issues of the day will resume on the 6th of June. 

Collegiate Champions League update

The search for the national collegiate champion is a season-long process that starts with the “mother leagues” competitions in June that are conducted in various cities and provinces. The road to the collegiate championship progresses to the regional and zonal tournaments and ends with the FilOil Flying V “Sweet 16” Final Challenge, the season-ending competition involving the surviving top 16 collegiate teams in the country.

The above format of the 2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship games, a joint project of BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), is in line with the objective of enhancing the development and promotion of collegiate basketball by providing school teams all over the country with a broader competitive environment and a higher goal – to be the national champion.

In the final phase of the Philippine Collegiate Championship, the eight zonal winners (two from each zone) join the automatic qualifiers, the top two teams of UAAP & NCAA and the champion teams of NAASCU, CUSA, NCRAA/UCAA and CESAFI (Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.).

The elite 16 teams are divided into two groups as follows: Group X – UAAP champion, NCAA runner-up, CUSA champion, NAASCU champion and four zonal representatives; and Group Y – NCAA champion, UAAP runner-up CESAFI champion, NCRAA/UCAA champion and four zonal representatives.

Games in the “Sweet 16” Final Challenge are on knock-out basis (losers go home), with the surviving teams in Group X and Group Y fighting it out for the national title.

FilOil Flying V Sports of the Villavicencio group of companies are the sponsors of the grants to be awarded to the top four teams: P500,000 for the champion, and P200,000, P100,000, and P50,000, for the three runner-ups. Additionally, the champion team shall represent the country in FIBA-sanctioned international collegiate games competitions. Solar Sports, which reportedly got the PBA television rights, is also the broadcast partner of the Collegiate Champions League, and will cover all the “Sweet 16” Final Challenge games and the Zonal championships. The wide media coverage of the 2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship games in print, radio and television, will definitely boost the exposure of both Metro Manila based players and also the budding provincial talents.

Watch this space for more updates on the biggest collegiate basketball event of the year, the 2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship games. Visit also the office website www.Collegiate Champions.Leauge.net

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected].