Filbasket ready for blast-off

MANILA, Philippines — Players, coaches and officials of 11 teams will enter a bubble set-up in two hotels today to undergo RT-PCR testing preparatory to the launch of the groundbreaking Filbasket league which kicks off a 26-day schedule with a tripleheader at the Subic Bay Gymnasium on Thursday. Filbasket co-founder Buddy Encarnado and commissioner Jai Reyes checked in yesterday to make sure arrangements are laid out to comply with strict safety/health protocols.

Encarnado, a two-time PBA Executive of the Year awardee as Sta. Lucia Realty governor, said Filbasket was conceived to provide an avenue for amateurs, including ex-pros, to play the game they love in this pandemic. “We’re hoping to highlight the plight of amateur players and try to bring back a sense of normalcy to the times,” he said. “We don’t give salaries, only allowances like in the collegiate leagues. We’re in the process of sowing the seeds, anchored on fair play. This is purgatory, the stop-gap place where players can showcase their skills moving from college to the ultimate goal which is to play in the PBA. Players who were drafted by PBA teams but didn’t make it, ex-PBA players and those who were undrafted are welcome to prove they deserve another look.”

Reyes, an ex-PBA player himself, said “through Filbasket, we’ll try to make the whole basketball and sports community more inclusive and complement each other instead of thinking of each league as competition that needs to be eliminated.” He said Filbasket isn’t out to override the MPBL or any other league. “We want to be complementary to the current basketball landscape and build on top of it,” he said. “At the end of the day, if all leagues are more inclusive, then the players will benefit.”

Encarnado said each team paid an entry fee of P350,000 but it’s really not enough to cover expenses of the inaugural tournament which will schedule 55 elimination games, an eight-team quarterfinals with the top four placers enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage, a knockout semis and a best-of-three finals. “Jai and his staff are not being paid,” said Encarnado. “If we were a pro league, this wouldn’t be a good business proposition. We’re paying P1.5 million for TV production, P2,000 a day per room in two hotels, P600 meal allowance a day, P600,000 for the gym, P700,000 for security, marshalls, sanitization, testing and other necessities. If we’re successful, then maybe later we can charge a franchise fee and turn pro. But at the moment, we’re testing how we do with this first tournament.”