Six-footers caging gets underway

Cage fans will get a big glimpse of the future when the Six-Foot Junior Basketball Championship begins today at the Lyceum Gym.

Sen. Robert Jaworski will be the guest of honor in the 1:30 p.m. opening ceremonies to be followed by the inaugural encounter between Shell-UCAA and the Red Bull National Pool at 2 p.m.

The other games pit Coca-Cola-Pool C against Talk N Text-National Pool A at 3:30 p.m. and Sta. Lucia-Cusa against Ginebra-NCRAA at 5 p.m.

The opening rites and the first two games will be telecast over NBN Channel 4 on a slightly delayed basis.

Basketball patron Bert Lina, chairman of the sponsoring FedEx and Air 2100, conceptualized the league for players who are 18 years and under and are at least six-foot tall.

Coached by Joseph Winfield Ocampo, the UCAA selection is expected to have a tough time against Red Bull-Pool B, which is being mentored by Ching Ching Marcelino.

A league ruling stipulating that the coach must field in all 12 players in the roster, however, tends to level the competition.

Still, National Pool C of multi-titled coach Ato Badolato and National Pool A of coach Johnny Tam are picked as strong contenders because of the presence of Philippine Youth players in their fold.

Sanctioned by the Basketball Association of the Philippines, the 6-footers league is envisioned by Lina to discover young and tall players who can represent the country in future international competitions. League commissioner is Matthew "Fritz" Gaston.