Band of ballers

You’ve gone grassroots. You’ve gone pro. You’ve gone collegiate. You’ve gone high school. So where else do you go?

If you’re Nike, you wonder if there’s still an untapped segment in the market. Have you covered all the bases? In the battle for supremacy in the sports footwear and apparel industry, he who thinks ahead is he who finishes ahead.

So it came as no surprise when I got a call from Nike’s Auty Villarama and Relly San Agustin the other day telling me they’ve embarked on a new mission. Forget 3-on-3 for the moment–that’s overdone and overused, they said. Auty and Relly pointed to the "remaining piece in the puzzle," the missing link to complete the Nike picture of market coverage, as their latest focus of attention.

"Through the years, Nike has consistently established its presence in the professional, amateur, collegiate and high school level of basketball in the Philippines," Nike’s marketing hotshots noted. "Nike has captured all but one level in the basketball hierarchy. As the brand already has a strong grasp on performance athletes and teams, not to mention grassroots programs, we need to connect Nike basketball to the last piece in the puzzle, your average player, the Filipino baller."

That last piece is the segment where most of us belong. We were never too good to play for our school varsity and playing for a commercial team was just out of our league. But hey, we love this game. And for as long as our legs can hold up, we’ll keep on balling wherever our sneakers take us. That market segment of average players is significantly larger than the segment of above-average players who become professional or amateur commercial or collegiate athletes.

If the average player was ignored by warring shoe brands in the past, he’s not anymore by Nike.

"We need to establish a new level of competition for the Filipino baller, focused on the hoop breeding grounds that exist within the villages and subdivisions, initially in Metro Manila," said Villarama. "These are the players who aspire to be like their heroes. As Michael Jordan is king of the NBA (National Basketball Association), Alvin Patrimonio, the pride of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association), the Filipino baller dreams of becoming the ruler of his own village."

From this analysis emerged Nike’s innovative concept of tapping players from 16 villages and subdivisions in Metro Manila for a tournament called the "Nike Battlegrounds."

The 16 teams are from Wack Wack Village, Valle Verde 6, San Miguel Village, San Lorenzo Village, Philam, Palm Village, Merville, Mariana Neighborhood, Magallanes, Loyola Grand Villas, Green Meadows, Dasmariñas Village, Corinthian Gardens, Bel-Air Village, Ayala Heights, and Ayala Alabang. The winner will be tagged as the "King of the Village Courts."

A team is allowed 12 players within the 15-25 age range and two within the 25-28 bracket. Professional and amateur commercial players are not allowed to see action. Players with collegiate league experience, as juniors or seniors, may play only if they’ve been inactive since Jan. 1, 2001. Only Filipino citizens are eligible to play.

The tournament begins at 6 tonight and ends May 10. After the opening game in tonight’s inaugurals at the Phelps Dodge gym, the rest of the contests will be played every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The format consists of dividing the 16 teams into four groups of four. They play a single round then the top teams from each group will be seeded. A drawing of lots will then determine the pairings in the US NCAA-inspired knockout playoffs–Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and the Finals.

Mike Minana and Tanny Gonzalez are on top of the league operations.

"Our performance athletes like Alvin, Willie Miller, Jeffrey Cariaso and Jun Limpot started their career on these battlegrounds," said San Agustin. "It was on the village courts where they experienced their first taste of victory and defeat. It was all about pride and glory. That’s why our elite players have a special place in their hearts for the villages where they played in their early years."

Additionally, Villarama said the "battlegrounds" could be a stepping stone for players who want to hone their skills and take their game to a higher level in a higher league. "It’s a chance for them to play to the best of their ability, to open up opportunities and to bring honor not only to their village but to themselves as well," he continued.

Calling the shots for the Loyola Grand Villas is former Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) coach and PBA TV analyst Vic Ycasiano. Ex-amateur commercial cager Juancho Liwag is Merville’s assistant coach. Several grandchildren of the late Olympic basketball player Eddie Decena are suiting up for San Miguel Village.

The 16 head coaches are Ycasiano, Ayala Alabang’s Jeff Go, Ayala Heights’ Antonio Goze, Jr., Bel-Air’s Joseph Pagulayan, Corinthians’ Bonnie Tan, Dasmariñas’ Louie Malixi, Green Meadows’ Crisanto de los Reyes, Magallanes’ Jun Badoy, Mariana’s Victor Pillar, Merville’s Louie Dabao, Palm’s Jorge Noel Wieneke, Philam’s Nick de Leon, San Lorenzo’s Bridge Sibug, San Miguel’s Armand Favis, Valle Verde 6’s Jasen Ko, and Wack Wack’s Danilo Santiago.

In the US, the hoop "battlegrounds" are the open-air public cement courts where the backboards are made of steel and the cords are chained metal. They’re called cages and the players, cagers, because the courts are fenced with chicken wire. That’s where the most acrobatic and prolific ballers strut their wares, those who dream of being the next Julius Erving but will never make it beyond the projects.

In the Philippines, the "battlegrounds" are the courts in the village playgrounds. That’s where Filipino ballers are made. That’s where the average players still play the game they love with a passion. Nike couldn’t have found a more enthusiastic band of ballers.