Coke Light caging unwraps today

The 2003 Coke Light Invitational basketball tournament fires off today at the Meralco gym with a promise of slam-bang action among six teams beefed up by former pro players and two of the best imports produced by the PBA in a two-month battle for supremacy in the tournament, formerly called the STAR Friendship League,

Launched in 2001 to foster friendship and rapport among The Philippine STAR’s advertisers and business associates and conceptualized by STAR president Miguel Belmonte, the league has staged a highly-successful inaugural tournament with competition being intense, fierce and furious.

Although former MVP Jaime Oliva will not be around to spearhead RCBC Savings Bank’s title-retention bid, the team remains as talent-laden as ever, what with Mike Dimaano and Aldrin Morante in the fold. But the defending champions will have their hands full against the five other squads, particularly Sunkist, formerly RFM.

To generate interest and further raise the level of play, the organizing Philippine STAR Group of Publications has decided to allow the inclusion of guest players, otherwise known as "imports" with Sunkist tapping the services of Norman Black and Bobby Parks, making them the team to beat in the Saturday-only tournament.

Not to be outdone, PLDT, one of the newcomers, has tapped former Talk N Text coach Bill Bayno as its player-coach, likewise installing the telephone company one of the forces to reckon with.

Aside from RCBC, Sunkist and The STAR, three new squads are actually joining the event, co-sponsored by adidas, namely Red Bull Barako, Core Automotive Resources and PLDT. San Miguel, which graced the inaugural staging of the event with a star-studded squad that included the likes of Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim and Hector Calma, has begged off from fielding a team this time but has remained the chief backer as title sponsor through Coke Light.

In fact, Genju Lapez, president of Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils. Inc., will deliver the inspiration message during the opening rites which starts at 8 a.m. with noted STAR columnist and TV commentator Quinito Henson giving the welcome remarks.

Bill Velasco, also a columnist of The STAR, is the program’s emcee.

The six teams will clash in a single round robin eliminations with the top four squads advancing to the crossover semifinals. Winners will dispute the crown in a winner-take-all match.

With Black and Parks in the fold, Sunkist is a hands-down favorite to win the crown, although the rest of the field may yet come up with surprise packages in their respective rosters, particularly the Core Automotive Resources, Inc., Red Bull and PLDT, which boasts of former PBA players Josel Angeles and Gabby Cui.

Managed by philstar.com president Kevin Belmonte and mentored by Noli Hernandez, the host squad, which dominated the inter-media tournament for years, will be bannered by former University of the East cager Alfred Bartolome, Crisanto dela Cruz, Virgilio Roque, Ting Hojilla, Arnel Ferrer and Roy Canlas. Reinforcing the squad is Randel Reducto, a former star player of PMI in the CUSA league.