Liga Pilipinas by Ed Picson

While I am in complete agreement with many who say we must extend support to sports other than basketball, the reality is Filipinos just can’t get enough of it.

It probably stems from the fact that from early childhood, we are exposed to the game, wherever in the country one grows up. There are basketball courts in almost every street corner, and there are basketball tournaments to cap just about every celebration.

Although playing in the PBA is still the ultimate goal of every hoopster who ever imagined himself to be talented enough to be one of the best, getting there is more difficult than one can imagine.

The mere fact that we are a developing country separated by bodies of water, mountains and all sorts of other barriers, has made it almost impossible for talents in the nooks and crannies to be discovered.

And with the vast pool of talents we must have in the countryside, there must be a vehicle for them to be acknowledged and nurtured.

Comes now the newest innovation of former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala- Liga Pilipinas. Noli may be many things to many people, but to me he is one of the most innovative and imaginative men in the local sports scene.

When I first heard of Liga Pilipinas, I was prepared to dismiss it as just one of those dime-a-dozen tournaments some joker put together to turn in a fast buck. These ventures normally don’t last long, nor do they make any money.

When I found out Noli was involved, I took a closer look, and was not disappointed.

But the problem with regional tournaments such as that of the defunct MBA, is that the logistics involved are nothing short of gargantuan. Again, our archipelagic situation and the cost of island-hopping are naturally substantial.

This was the first concern I confronted Noli with, and typically he informed me he had labored over the matter, and had come up with a viable scheme that would reduce the cost drastically.

"Firstly, we will see to it that players are not highpriced (there will be a R20,000 monthly salary cap, although won-game bonuses will be open-ended). We will also ensure that majority of the players are home-grown (at least 8 of 14). This will not only appeal to the regional loyalties of the public, but also address our goal of discovering new talents from other areas in the country."

Each team (all Liga Pilipinas teams are municipality, city or provincebased, with commercial partners) will host an elimination round leg that would be participated in by at least three other teams, the champion of which will get cash rewards and tournament points, which will be the basis for determining which teams will get into the play-offs.

Since there are currently 14 teams, there will be an equal number of legs, and each team will play in only four legs which means they will travel only three times before the play-offs come around.

In a talk I had with Noli on my show on Sports Radio (918 kHz) last Monday, he sounded very upbeat as the two latest teams had just signed on- Quezon Province and Baguio.

The two teams are the 13th and 14th teams, joining Cebu City, Iloilo, Pampanga, Taguig, Bacolod, Misamis Oriental, Ozamis City, Pagadian City, Ilocos Sur, Davao, Laguna and Zamboanga.

Pinoy Basketball Inc. which will undertake the project will formally launch Liga Pilipinas this May 31, while the games start on June 11.

Meanwhile, excitement has spilled over to other areas, and this late, there are other teams which are just tying up some loose ends before officially confirming their participation.

NBN-4 has already signified its intention to cover the games, and it looks as if its going to be a lot fun all around, following the action and rivalries all around the country.

As I was writing this, I got an email from Noli informing me that there will be pre-season games this week-end in Cebu City and Taguig.