Perhaps the biggest step (some say gamble) on the part of the MBA was to move to People’s Television. Although the government network has been languishing near the bottom of the ratings, it has always been known as a sports network, and surveys have suggested it has a 25% wider reach than Studio 23 at present. ABS-CBN is hoping that its network’s sales force (which has taken over selling the league) will be able to stir up more revenue from sponsors with the move.
The second major step was to move its Saturday games to Friday. This was not designed to compete with the PBA, but more to resolve an issue of practicality. The Philippine Basketball League also airs its games on PTV 4 on Saturdays, and the MBA felt that 10 hours of basketball in one day was simply too much for even the most rabid fans, and this outweighed even the benefit of being on primetime. So you can have too much basketball, after all.
The MBA will have two conferences, one running from June to August, and the national championships from September to December. The Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games fall in the middle of the two tournaments, giving the national team a chance to regroup and go for another gold medal.
The defending champion San Juan Knights have been somewhat quiet, aside from the stir created by "loaning" center Omanzie Rodriguez and swingman Bruce Dacia to its PBL sister team Pharmaquick. But the defending champions still have a formidable line-up what with Chris Calaguio, Chito Victolero and Rodriguez getting exposure with the RP team, and 6-8 do-it-all Rafi Reavis scheduled to return.
The runner-up Negros Slashers are virtually intact from last year, and will no doubt get stronger once John Ferriols and Ruben dela Rosa return from the national team. Robert Sison’s squad has been practicing since early February, and the team had a close game against the RP squad a few weeks ago. The only addition to the team so far is UAAP champion De La Salle’s Dino Aldeguer.
The Intra-Conference Challenge champion Cebu Gems have had the most impressive showing in the post-season. Despite losing their starting center Homer Se and starting point guard Stephen Padilla on the national team, the Gems have only lost by 1 and 10 in their two encounters with the Nationals. Former Cagayan de Oro Amigos team captain Peter Naron and former Socsargen Marlins captain Max Delantes have been teaming up excellently, scoring in the 20’s against the Philippine team in their second match.
The most intriguing combination seems to belong to the Batangas Blades, who have absorbed All-Stars Alex Compton, Romel Adducul, Peter Martin and defensive guard Jonathan Serrano from the Manila Metrostars. Adducul, Martin and Eddie Laure are playing for the national team, and have shown surprising improvement. Compton and Serrano will definitely boost Batangas’ backcourt, which was one of the shortest last season. Coach Nash Racela hopes to keep 1999 MVP Compton’s minutes manageable during the regular season, seeing how the Cornell guard has averaged over 40 minutes a game the last two years. Besides, he still has other players like Ralph Rivera who can also play the point.
Laguna has added depth to its backcourt (its main weakness last year) with the acquisition of six-foot point guard Junel Mendiola from the Pampanga Dragons and 3-point specialist Jomar Tierra, formerly of the Davao Eagles. Center Jeff Flowers has visibly trimmed down and played very well in the Battle of Champions which featured a Cebu Lhuillier team reinforced by Bobby Parks and Darryl Smith last month. Adding depth to the frontline is 6-5 former Davao center Randy Lopez and 6-4 forward Melvin Taguines.
The Nueva Ecija Patriots have also been silently practicing and recruiting players, adding Iloilo Megavolt Francis Aquino to their strong backcourt. One thing missing for the Patriots at the moment is a quality big man who can get them past the tough field in the north.
The Davao Eagles are the last to assemble a squad. Curiously, they’ve decided to form an all-new team predominantly composed of Davaoeños, perhaps hoping to find another Felix Belano.
The Socsargen Marlins are the last team to jump into the fray, after the Pasig-Rizal Pirates pulled out. Coach Boycie Zamar snagged Bong Alvarez, who wanted to stay in the MBA, and added former Davao Eagle Paeng Santos, and former Gem Giovanni Pineda as a utility player. Zamar’s backcourt includes Edgar Echavez of the RP team and tough as nails returnee Aldrich Reyes, who played with Negros last year.
All this activity is in the hope that, when the league opens on June 3, anxious MBA fans will embace the league once again, changes and all.
Note: Fil-Estate Sports Foundation and the Manila Southwoods Tennis Academy are sponsoring a summer tennis camp at the Bramante Piazza in Pasig and the Manila Southwoods in Ternate, Cavite. The Bramante camps run until April 25 and from May 7 to 30, while the Southwoods camps run from April 7 to May 6 and May 12 to June 10. Former Davis Cup captain Manny Tecson conducts the camps. Interested players may call 938-9522 or 939-4851.