CYBL Vismin Goodwill Games kicks off today

CEBU, Philippines - The biggest ever Cebu Youth Basketball League/CYBL Vismin Goodwill Games will kick off today with a total 19 seeing action, including visiting teams from Bacolod, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro seeing action at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Gym in Canduman, Mandaue City. They join Cebu’s top teams in both the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) and Passerelle divisions.

Eleven teams are seeing action in the SBP division: Ateneo de Iloilo, St. John’s Institute of Bacolod, Warriors Basketball Club of Bacolod, Xavier University/Ateneo de Cagayan, Cebu Eastern College, University of San Carlos, University of the Visayas, Don Bosco Technology Center, St. Benedict’s Child Learning Center, University of San Jose Recoletos and SHS-Ateneo de Cebu. Meanwhile, eight teams make up the Passerelle division: St. John’s Institute (Bacolod), Ateneo de Iloilo, CEC, USC, Don Bosco A, Don Bosco B, USJR and SHS-Ateneo de Cebu.

 A heavy dose of matches to be played all day fires of the goodwill games which will run until June 1, Saturday. SHS-Ateneo de Cebu is defending champion of the SBP division, defeating St. John’s in the 2012 finals. CEC topped USC for the Passerelle division crown last year.

The SBP division is split into two groups of five and six teams each. The SBP teams will play a single round robin within each group, then go into a quarterfinals and semifinals playoffs before the championship game. The Passerelle division will play as one big group. The elimination round will be a single round robin format with the top two teams in the facing off for the championship.

The CYBL Vismin Goodwill Games started in 2011 as a simple weekend dual meet between Bacolod and Cebu with the goal of playing tune-up games in preparation for the coming season’s big tournaments such as the Milo-backed BEST SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament and the various school-based leagues.

Iloilo and Davao joined the games in 2012 as it turned into a mini tournament. This will serve as the final pre-season tournament for all teams as they finalize their line-ups for the upcoming tournaments when the schoolyear starts.  (FREEMAN)