9 teams vie in Freego-FCBL tilt

MANILA, Philippines - The Filipino-Chinese Basketball League (FCBL) Freego Cup, the biggest pre-season tournament for high school, gets going tomorrow with nine teams clashing for top honors at the Buddhacare Gym in Quezon City.

Five squads from UAAP, led by Ateneo and Far Easterrn University, and two from the Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association (MMTLBA), including defending champion Hope Christian High School, will slug it out for the crown in the event presented by Freego and sponsored by Smart.

Also seeing action in the tournament, now on its fifth year, are National University, University of Santo Tomas and Adamson from UAAP and reigning Metro Manila Tiong Lian champion Chiang Kai Shek College.

Malayan Science School (Mapua) is the only NCAA team in the tournament while STI is also out to prove its worth.

“We are staging this tournament to prepare the schools for their respective leagues. It is our own way to help them discover their strengths and weaknesses,” said Horacio Lim, one of the organizers of the event. 

Joel Yap of Freego has been invited to do the ceremonial toss in simple opening rites to be graced by representatives of the league’s backers – Hapee Toothpaste, Fruitas Fruit Shake, Nikon Home Appliances, Colt Commercial, Jumbo Plastic Linoleum, Fern-C and Insular Place (Cebu).

Hope Christian starts its title-retention drive against UST at 3 p.m. while FEU and Ateneo collide with STI and Nu at 12 noon and 1:30 p.m., respectively. The Adamson-Malayan showdown at 4:30 p.m. caps a heavy four-game bill.

Tournament format is a single-round robin with the top four teams advancing to the crossover semis where the No.1 and No. 2 teams enjoy a twice-to-beat edges.