It’s quietly back again on its annual journey, 33 years and counting. We’re talking about the 33rd edition of the SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament for basketball of the BEST Center that’s backed by Milo. Also known as Milo BEST or simply SBP Passerelle basketball, it’s one of the longest-running basketball programs in the country for the developmental age groups: from the Under 15 to Under 10 year old basketball players.
The Cebu leg, which kicked off last week of a soft opening and formally started yesterday, is just one of the many provincial legs that also started last week. For Luzon, games are played in Baguio, Pangasinan, Pampanga and Lucena. For Mindanao, there are SBP Passerelle legs in Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga. The Metro Manila is considered as one region, while the Visayas is composed of Roxas, Iloilo, Bacolod and Cebu. Nationwide, games are played in the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) and Passerelle divisions.
Special ground rules are implemented with the goal towards developmental play. The SBP division is for players in the Under 12, 11 and 10 age groups with five players per age group composing a team of 15. The Passerelle division has players in the Under 15, 14 and 13 age groups; also with five players per age group. The presence of different age groups is pushed to ensure a continuity program for all schools and to tap the youngest age group of the basketball market, the Under 10 year old kids. Thus, it isn’t a surprise to see teams with both tall and short players. The smallest ones are obviously the youngest (and cutest) of each team. Moreover, if one is fortunate, he has the chance to play for three years of SBP and another three years of Passerelle basketball.
The tournament also has a different rule for playing time for players. Everybody on the team must play at least ten minutes (eight minutes for SBP) a game. Nobody is allowed to be benched by a coach. A different set of five players are fielded in a game in each of the first three quarters, and no substitution is allowed. For the fourth quarter, the coach has a discretion who to field and substitution is already permitted. This way, everybody on the team sees action for at least one quarter. And there is no way for parents to complain about their son not getting enough playing time. The first three quarters are for teams to spread their best players before they re-group in the payoff period fourth quarter.
The format has the provincial legs playing single round robin classification phases before going into the knock-out or playoffs stage. The Cebu champion qualifies for the Visayas Regional Finals where it faces off against the champions of Roxas, Iloilo and Bacolod. For this year, this will be held in Bacolod around the end of October. The winners of the regional finals of Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manila then meet in the national finals end of November or early December in Pampanga.
The SBP and Passerelle age groups are where the best players of the country spend their formative basketball years before going into more serious basketball. Passerelle players “graduate” to the Juniors ranks to play high school basketball, and later to the collegiate level. Name a player and chances are is that he has most likely played in the SBP Passerelle tournament in the past. Kiefer Ravena, Chris Tiu and Kobe Paras not only played in the SBP Passerelle Tournament. They also attended basketball clinics of the BEST Center, the prime mover behind this over-all program of clinics and games. And there are many more who also took the same path to the PBA, UAAP, NCAA and our very own CESAFI.
The BEST Center turned forty years old this year. It stands for Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training, the first scientific school for basketball to rise in the country. Its summer clinics have seen record enrollees every year, covering the entire nation. The BEST Center has taken its track record into girls basketball and girls volleyball also for clinics and tournaments. The Women’s Basketball League and Women’s Volleyball League are two of the biggest tournaments in the country for girls sports. Our next wish for Cebu is to also stage clinics and tournaments for girls basketball and/or volleyball. Any takers?
Coach Nic Jorge founded the BEST Center in 1978 and conducted basketball clinics with the help of his family; his wife Tita Marilyn, children and close friends. He saw the need to teach basketball correctly and after forty years, let’s just say that the rest is history. It certainly wasn’t a perfect ride, but it was all worth it as we now see the fruits of the seeds that were planted. The partnership with Milo was a perfect marriage between two sports-loving partners that has lasted all these years and that will surely run for a hundred more. Coach Nic started the partnership with Milo when it was then represented by Luther Castillo. Today, Coach Nic, Tita Marilyn and their daughter Monica deal with Luther’s son Lester who now heads Milo’s sports marketing team.
For all this, Pinoy sports is grateful for the 40-year-old BEST Center. More than the awards it has received (PSA Hall of Hame and POC Olympism Awards), it has produced hundreds (maybe thousands?) of basketball and volleyball players who have become better persons through sports. Imagine Philippine basketball without the BEST Center.