NBC focuses on regional caging today

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–Regional basketball with a new flavor unwraps today when the Cagayan de Oro Stars battle the visiting Iloilo Warriors in the kickoff match of the National Basketball Conference’s (NBC) inaugural season at the Xavier University gym here.

The Stars and the Warriors collide after the 6 p.m. opening ceremony where Miss Rosie Jane Acuram will sing the national anthem, the Sentrong COCean will render an invocation song and the Dunkin’ Donut dancers will provide entertainment numbers.

Councilors Alvin Calingin and Benjo Benaldo will join NBC chairman Louie Kierulf and secretary-general Tito Palma in the opening rites.

The Ozamiz Cotta and the Cebu Tribes will play in the Southern Division together with the Stars and the Warriors. Competing in the Northern Division are the Baguio Cardinals, Spring Cooking Oil-Laguna, the Batangas 29ers and Forward Taguig.

The Cardinals and the 29ers will clash on June 11 in Baguio City to kick off Northern Division action in the tourney sponsored by Panasonic, Spring Cooking Oil, PCSO, Distileria Limtuaco, Sulpicio Lines, Air Philippines, Supercat, Accel and Molten.

NBC president Nathaniel "Tac" Padilla, co-owner of Spring-Laguna with Gov. Teresita "Ningning" Lazaro, sees a bright future for the tourney, which will be played on a home-and-away format. "We got good crowds during our pre-season games. This is a good sign," said the reigning national pistol champion.

For his part, NBC basketball operations head Noel Zarate said, "We will do everything to bring regional basketball back to the masses and live up to our slogan ‘ang Liga ng Bayan’."

NBC games will be shown at 4 p.m. every Sunday on NBN 4.

Coach Roy Deles’ Warriors, owned by the Iloilo Basketball League headed by businessman Robert Uy and commissioner Bayani Ladrino, boast native Ilonggos like Rhagnee Sinco, Eduardo Allado and Paul Poral and former MBA stars Francis Sanz and Carlos Sayon and ex-NCAA MVP Steve Marucot.