Cage league for ‘homegrown’ talents

Last March, former coach Virgil Villavicencio organized an experimental "homegrown" basketball league involving six schools in two divisions — alumni and high school — at the San Juan gym.

Villavicencio’s idea was to strengthen the loyalty of players to their school.

"The development of athletes should start at the primary and secondary levels," he said. "I’d like to see more athletes representing their school from elementary to college. While it’s natural to beef up lineups in the collegiate level with outside recruits, I’m sure alumni would prefer ‘homegrown’ athletes because they grew up living the school spirit."

The March experiment was Villavicencio’s first step towards forming a "homegrown" collegiate league.

"Our first tournament was a big success with La Salle winning the alumni title and San Beda, the high school championship," said Villavicencio . "It was fun getting the alumni and high school players together because they, more than most college players, know what school spirit is all about."

Villavicencio, 51, is a prime example of a "homegrown" athlete who played for the same school in the juniors and seniors divisions then even coached the varsity later. He played football and basketball for La Salle in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) juniors up to 1971 then quarterbacked the Green Archers in the seniors for four years up to 1976. The highlight of his La Salle career was combining with Lim Eng Beng to power the Archers to the 1974 crown.

Villavicencio later coached the Archers to three straight runner-up finishes in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines ) from 1993 to 1996.

"Actually, I prepared myself as a La Salle coach by coaching the Ateneo juniors for six years," chuckled Villavicencio. "My job at Ateneo wasn’t exactly what you would expect from someone who’s now crusading for more ‘homegrown’ participation. But I proved myself at Ateneo by winning five MMBL (Metro Manila Basketball League) titles. At La Salle, I won one national intercollegiate championship."

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From the UAAP, Villavicencio jumped to the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) where he coached Ramcar and Wilkins for two years then moved to Talk ‘N’ Text in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) where he was an assistant coach for three seasons.

At the moment, Villavicencio is totally immersed in the "homegrown" project he’s implementing for nephew Raffy Villavicencio who owns main sponsor Filoil, a network of Flying V gasoline stations in south Luzon. Raffy’s father Chito owns Flying V here.

Villavicencio has nothing against "outside" recruits like Ateneo’s Doug Kramer or San Beda’s Sam Ekwe or La Salle’s Marko Batricevic but his dream is for more high school standouts becoming collegiate players for the same school instead of enrolling elsewhere. That’s why Villavicencio is particularly proud of La Salle Zobel high school star Simon Atkins who refused offers from several schools, including Ateneo, to join the Archers even as the senior varsity was suspended by the UAAP this season.

"We’re encouraging the development of more ‘homegrown’ senior players coming from the high school system," said Villavicencio. "Today, we see high school players transferring to another college because they can’t find a spot in their senior team. It’s our dream for a senior team to be composed of mostly ‘homegrown’ players."

To get the ball rolling, Villavicencio as commissioner announced the staging of the first Filoil Flying V Homegrown Invitational Cup for 10 senior varsity teams starting Nov. 4 at the PhilSports Complex.

The competing schools are Ateneo, Letran, Far Eastern University (FEU), Jose Rizal and University of Santo Tomas in Group A and La Salle, San Beda, San Sebastian, University of the East (UE) and University of the Philippines in Group B.

Games will be played on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays with four games scheduled each playing day. In the eliminations, teams from Group A will play only entries from Group B. The top two teams in each group then advance to the semis where the survivors face off in the finals on Dec. 17.

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The winning team will receive P100,000 with the runner-up pocketing P60,000 and the third-placer, P40,000.

Villavicencio said each team is required to submit a roster of up to 18 with at least three "homegrown" players.

"On a long-term basis, the goal is to develop a new league where ‘homegrown’ players get a chance to hone their skills as they strive to get into the main team," said Villavicencio. "The first year will require a minimum of three ‘homegrown’ players each team. The second year will require six and the next year, nine, then, 12 and 15 by the fifth year.

Villavicencio said the league will be highlighted by classic matchups like Ateneo versus La Salle, San Beda versus Ateneo, Letran versus La Salle, Letran versus San Beda, FEU versus La Salle and Ateneo versus UE.

"We’re all very excited about the league which we hope, will offer the same excitement and intensity of the UAAP and NCAA," said Villavicencio. "This is all about fostering school spirit."