48 schools take part in 31st Seaoil MMBL

MANILA, Philippines – The 31st edition of the Seaoil Metro Manila Basketball League, the secondary school post-season tournament will tip off this Saturday, Nov. 9, at the San Beda College Gym in Manila.

Forty-eight high school squads will be participating in the tournament, which will run all the way to January of 2014. These teams will be spread across four divisions for boys and one for girls.

San Beda High School’s legendary coach Ato Badolato founded the league as a means for high school players to continue their season that usually ended in October when the NCAA and UAAP tournaments were over.

“We’ve grown from having seven or eight teams to now having over 50 schools participating,” said Badolato, who serves as league commissioner. “And this is the second consecutive year where we are having a girls’ division where eight schools will be competing.”

Badolato acknowledged that it wasn’t easy getting the league started. The tournament coincidentally was organized not soon after San Beda took a sabbatical from the NCAA following on court violence in the late 1970s to the early 80s.

“When we got it going, other schools we invited would ask, ‘Sino kasali diyan?’ And when we’d say, ‘San Beda, Ateneo, La Salle…’ they would back out,” he explained.

“The MMBL, as the name states, is for Metro Manila. Not only do you get to watch players from the NCAA or UAAP but due to the size of the league many less exposed schools get an opportunity to compete," he added.

Eric Altamirano, program director of the Seaoil National Basketball Training Center, said that as the official grassroots program of the SBP, their efforts to promote and grow the sport of basketball would be difficult without the sponsorship of oil company.

“Seaoil is proud to partner with the Metro Manila Basketball League (MMBL) and is committed to sponsor the MMBL for the next four,” said Altamirano. “Coach Alex Compton and I believe that with this long-term partnership with Seaoil, it will greatly benefit more players and coaches especially the Schools in the NCR. This would assure the presence of NCR in National High School Championship. They will also be joined by the champion teams from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao."

Noted hoopsters who first got attention in the MMBL include Benjie Paras (San Beda) and Kirk Long (Faith Academy) to name a few.

The key matches in this Saturday’s tip-off include De La Salle Zobel taking on Chiang Kai Shek at 8am and St. Benilde International School facing Reedley International at 2:15 p.m. at the San Beda Gym.

Defending Division Two champions Faith Academy play Valenzuela Christian Academy at 11:30 a.m. at the Faith Academy gym in Valley Golf, Antipolo.

International School Manila tries to defend its home turf when it hosts King’s Montessori School at their gym at Bonifacio Global City also at 11:30 a.m.

The 30th edition of the MMBL will be played on weekends at the Faith Academy Gym in Valley Golf, Antipolo; the International School of Manila gym at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig; the San Beda College Gym; and Xavier School Gym in San Juan, Manila.