And it seems like the best is yet to come.
At the tip of the pyramid is the Philippine Superliga (PSL), the professional league that will further boost the sport in the years to come.
One of the ways for a sport to flourish is to have a solid national squad, and a pro league to back that up is critical.
You don’t have to look too far, as basketball is our number one sport, because the presence of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for 40 years has uplifted its profile and kept it in the limelight. And now, the national sports association, the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP), has established the National Team “Gilas” program which works closely with the pro league.
This seems to be the same formula that volleyball is trying to establish, and the PSL plays a major role in this endeavor.
Last conference, Petron stole the show, winning the championship without losing a single game!
In the ongoing PSL Grand Prix tournament, which features top imports from all over the world, the play has excited the fans further that the talk of the town has been the highly talented, not to mention very attractive, foreign players!
Leading the pack are retuning imports Erika Adachi and Lindsey Stalzer! The other stars who have captured the hearts of the sports supporters are Bojana Todorovic, Ariel Usher, Tina Alessi, Lynda Morales, Sara McClinton, and Alexis Olgard. Rounding out the cast are Katie Messing, Liis Kullerkann, Rupia Inck, and Amanda Anderson.
Their talents have definitely increased the level of play and the transfer of technology will also help our local stars improve their game. This is very transparent as you watch the matches. From last year’s edition, players like Dindin Manabat and Rachel Anne Dquis have been very vocal about how their development has been attributed to playing against stronger competition on a regular basis.
The PSL is excited about the coming new year because they have now lined up a full program that will comprise essentially all 12 months, which again will be beneficial to the players as they look to increase their skill level.
This is critical since our country has recently started joining international events, and we look to be more competitive in the coming events held here and around the region.
So now, we have another sport to entertain the Filipinos!
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