Even as the diminutive gymnast Carlos Yulo was making big waves at the current World Gymnastics Series, Ilongos and other Visayan-speaking areas near Passi City in Iloilo were treated non-stop to first-class sports entertainment for three days until Sunday when the PBA All Stars went on a weekend road show to Panay island.
Passi City Mayor Palmares is lucky because his LGU has boosted its tourism stock in hosting the traditional annual super event at a time when Pinoy basketball fanatics were wanting to unload their euphoric expectations after a two year hiatus caused by the viral pandemic and exasperating lockdowns.
True enough, those selected by the fans to compose the two teams – one captained by Japeth Aguilar and coached by Ginebra mentor Tim Cone and the other by Scottie Thompson and ROS chief startegist Yeng Guiao, respectively – displayed A-One class.
(The usual format before was between the North and the South.)
I guess it didn’t matter so much to the overflowing Passi crowd who won and lost. (Final score was 140-136 in favor of Japhet’s team.)They wera able to personally watch their fave cagers display their individual wares which they only see on the boob tube.
The 48-minute tussle was so entertaining that everyone got his money’s worth as cheers roared for Scottie’s Black Shirts who scrambled and rumbled to catch up with Japhet’s White Shirts for a down-the-wire finish.
The contest was made more exciting with the creation of a four point arc where the long shooters were tested for their sniping prowess.
Magnolia’s Paul Lee, who won the three-point shootout the previous day, capped his herculean skills by grabbing the All Star MVP honors with his long toms.
Aside from Lee’s game-long brilliance (7 of 13 from beyiond the four-point line), Jamie Malonzo, Calvin Abueva, Cj Perez, Christian Standhardinger, Raymond Almazan, Calvin Oftana, Robert Bolick, Kevin Alas were among the oustanding who exemplied the hard fought duel with their individual penetration, bulldozing passing and rebounding.
Although you might have noticed that there were less bodychecks and bodies banging such that let go fouls were allowed for a smooth and continuous game.
You could say every player was afforded the chance to display his talent.
In the end, you must have perceived that both Cone and Guiao wanted the win as the best five from each bench played up to the buzzer.
(The twin embarrassing defeats of San Miguel Beer and TNT at the recently concluded East Asia Super League did not also dampen the basketball public’s enthusiasm as the jampacked venue showed.)
Passi also showcased over the televised program cultural presentations of its homegrown customs and traditions as a people.
Bacolod City was announced as the next PBA All Stars host next year. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
