NBL stages national caging in Ozamiz

Regional basketball action takes the spotlight on May 23 when the National Basketball League (NBL) unveils its 2003 national championship at the Gov. Angel Medina Sr. Memorial gym in Ozamiz City.

Two games featuring four of eight competing teams will kick off the tourney sponsored by Tanduay Rhum, Fortune Tobacco, Air Philippines, Gatorade and Molten Basketballs.

It will be Spring Cooking Oil against M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu at 4 p.m. and Tarlac against Shineway Compak-Ozamiz at 6 p.m.

The four other contenders are Forward Taguig, Pampanga Dragons, Air Philippines-Bacolod and Negros Oriental.

All games will be televised on Channel 13 and all its provincial stations and affiliates through the facilities of Silverstar Communications Inc.

"I thank the NBL and its officials, led by president Christian Tan, vice president Nathaniel "Tac" Padilla and secretary general Tito Palma for giving our city the chance to host this event," said Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parajinog.

Spring, Tarlac, Taguig and Pampanga form the Northern Conference while the rest belong to the Southern Conference.

The team will play their conference-mates twice while meeting those in the opposing conference once for a total of 10 games. The first and second teams in each conference will play the fourth and third teams, respectively, in separate best-of-three, with the winners clashing in best-of-three conference finals. The conference titlists will then dispute the NBL national championship in a best-of-five series.

Meanwhile, the final tryouts for the NBL referees’ pool will be held May 10-11 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum starting at 8 a.m. Those in the south will have their chance May 20-21 in Cebu City also at 8 a.m. Technical head George Magsino will conduct the tryouts.