Sunkist youth caging fires off

Action in the Sunkist Youth Basketball Championship begins today with 16 teams clashing in eight matches in two venues in Makati, hoping to gain the headstart in this short but highly-competitive type of tournament for high school players patterned after the World Basketball Championship.

Ateneo de Manila, one of the top four teams in the UAAP, collides with University of St. La Salle-Bacolod in the featured match at the Makati Coliseum at 5 p.m. while Mapua, one of the fancied squads in the NCAA side, faces UAAP champion University of the Philippines Integrated School at 3 p.m. over at the Koliseum ng Bayan in Washington St. in Buendia.

Organized by the Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. and hosted by Mayor Jejomar Binay and the city of Makati, the event will mark its launch with elaborate opening rites at 4 p.m. at the Makati Coliseum with SVMGI president and former PBA commissioner Emilio Jun Bernardino and the other SVMGI officials gracing the affair.

Entertainment numbers will be provided by the Pio del Pilar National High School Dance Ensemble, winner in the CARACOL 2003 Competitions last January held at the Glorietta Park, and by the Makati Concert Choral Group to be conducted by Joel Lucas.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and RFM Corporation’s president and CEO Joey Concepcion will do the ceremonial toss while Bernardino will declare the tournament open.

Sunkist is the title sponsor of the eight-day tournament, put up not only to provide a proper venue for the youth where they can hone their talent and sharpen their skills. It also designed to instill discipline among competitors and is expected to be a breeding ground of talents for future international competitions.

Actually, hostilities in this inaugural staging of the event, backed by Air Philippines, the official carrier of the championship; Purefoods, the official hotdogs; Alaska Milk, Molten, Burlington and Pagcor, start at 10 a.m. with Adamson taking on San Sebastian College in a Group C match at the Makati Coliseum.

The other matches pit Ateneo de Davao against University of Santo Tomas at 12 noon and Xavier School against University of San Jose-Recoletos at 2 p.m.

Over at the Koliseum ng Bayan, San Beda, the reigning NCAA titlist, collides with Philippine College of Criminology in the 10 a.m. opener, while Letran and Pampanga slug it out at 1 p.m. before Faith Academy and Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori tangle in the 5 p.m. main game.

The 16 teams were divided into four groups with each division playing one round. The top two teams will then advance to the quarterfinals while the non-qualifiers will play consolation matches.

San Beda leads Group A that includes Ateneo de Davao, UST and PCCr; UPIS heads the Group B cast which also composed of Xavier, USJ-R and MIT; Group C is composed of Faith Academy, Adamson, SSC and Sacred Heart; while Ateneo de Manila is grouped with Letran, Pampanga High and University of St. La Salle in Group D.