Lavish opening bash for 1st Cebu Inter-City caging on Nov. 17

Everything is now in place for the grand opening of the 1st Cebu Inter-City Basketball League set on November 17 at the Don Celestino Martinez, Sr. Memorial Coliseum in Bogo City.

Event organizer and BAP-SBP Cebu Province director Lorenzo “Chao” C. Sy said the event was initially slated to kick off on November 10 but was moved a week later upon the request of some competing teams, which need ample time for preparation and ensure all their needs are being taken care of.

“The November 17 date is already final. We’re looking forward to a lavish and pompous opening ceremony as assured by the host city of Bogo,” said Chao Sy in a news conference yesterday at the La Fortuna Bakery-Sto. Niño branch.

Among the highlights of the opening salvo is the selection of Best Muse, with the top three beauties getting P3,000, P2,000, and P1,000, respectively. Non-winners will receive P500 apiece.

A total of eight cities will see action in the BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP)-sanctioned cagefest that offers huge cash prizes to the top three performing teams. These are Bogo, Danao, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu in the North Division, and Cebu, Toledo, Carcar, and Talisay in the South Division.

They will play in a double round robin, home-and-away format in the elimination round. The top two teams per division will advance into the crossover semifinals, with the winners slugging it out for the championship in a best-of-three series.

Hotel Fortuna Cup 2

Chao Sy, on the other hand, declared that it’s all systems go for the 2007 Hotel Fortuna Cup 2 Invitational basketball tournament scheduled to be held from December 1 to 5 at the Cebu Coliseum. “This is really my main thrust. Hold more tournaments to keep Cebu basketball alive and thriving,” said Chao Sy.

 Unlike in the inaugural edition of the Hotel Fortuna caging last summer where teams from the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) were seeing action, Chao Sy said the event is going to be an inter-collegiate action this time.

Among the schools which have already signified their intent to join the competition are seven-time CESAFI champion University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras, University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) Skyblazers, and Asian College of Technology (ACT) Cyber Knights.

The contending squads will be divided into two brackets that will play in a single round robin format in the elimination. The top two teams per bracket will move into the crossover semis. The winners will then fight for the championship in a winner-take-all affair.

The champion will receive P25,000, while the runner-up will take home P15,000. The organizers will also shoulder the expenses of any player who will be injured while playing in the five-day tilt. — EBV