The cream of the crop of collegiate basketball will have another reason to dish out their best in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League—more money.
Aside from the right to represent the country in the 2009 World Universiade in Serbia, telecommunications mogul Manny V. Pangilinan also doubled the prize money in the event set Nov. 24 at The Arena in San Juan City.
The champion will have another P500,000 in cash, the runner-up P200,000 and the third placer P150,000 apart from the P500,000, P200,000 and P150,000 worth of scholarship grants earlier announced by organizing PCCL chair Rey Gamboa.
Of course, it would also end the raging debate on which is really the best college team in the land today.
“Let’s support the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, there’s got to be only one collegiate champion in the country and we totally support the efforts made by Rey Gamboa and the rest of his colleagues,” said Pangilinan in Tuesday’s 2008 Collegiate Basketball Awards.
“I’m prepared to match his prize money, which is P500,000. That money goes to the school but only scholarships I think, there should be another P500,000 that should go to the team and the coach. “Second prize P200,000 so I’ll add a cash of P200,000, which should go to the team and the coach. Another P150,000 for third place so we just have to put up the corresponding fund so the guys will have to fight for this kind of prize money and make the league more interesting,” he added.
The top four teams in the UAAP—Ateneo, La Salle, Far Eastern U and University of the East—and the NCAA—San Beda, Jose Rizal, Letran and Mapua—have all been seeded in the “Sweet 16.”
The rest will come from champions in the different leagues like UCAA, NCRAA, NCRAA and those in the provinces with a pair of wildcard berths already staked for those who didn’t make it.