18-team Pinay Ballers League gets under way Nov. 8

MANILA, Philippines - Women’s basketball in the country took a shot in the arm with the formation of the Pinay Ballers League (PBL) which comes off the wraps on Nov. 8 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Nerenciana Arayi, league president, said a total of 18 teams signed up for the tournament to be divided into two divisions – elite and developmental.

The former MVP in the UAAP women’s basketball graced yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate together with PBL commissioner Anthony Sulit.

“This league will provide our women basketball players a venue to continue their playing careers after they graduate from school or are done representing the country,” Arayi told the forum sponsored by Shakey’s, Accel and Pagcor.

Among the teams seeing action in the elite division are those from the PNP, Air Force, Army, Kairos, UAAP Alumni, FEU Alumni, NU Alumni and University of Makati.

Sulit said the nine teams from each group will play a single-round robin, leading to a cross-over semis and the finals. Games will also be played at the University of Makati Gym.

Arayi also mentioned a team known as the Pacman Warriors but is not in any way associated with the Filipino boxing icon but made up mostly of Manny Pacquiao supporters.

She said the idea of putting up the PBL came up after the Myanmar SEA Games last year.

“With the help of friends I started teaching basketball to children and looked for more ways to inspire them. With the heavy turnout, we decided to put up a league,” said Arayi.

The former Adamson player said they managed to put up the league with no major sponsors but with help coming from friends like Kiefer Ravena and Ken Bono.

“Sila Kiefer and Ken, isang text lang nagbibigay agad ng donations, mostly basketballs. Others provide uniforms. We hope that later on we can find sponsors, too,” said Arayi.

“If this test brand will be okay then we will go on a higher level like an Open division for women and hopefully we can build our own version of Gilas Pilipinas,” said Sulit.