LET’S GET IT ON – Hoops for the masses

By Neil Bravo
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and son Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte’s Araw ng Davao treat to Davao basketball fans is back. Twice a year, Davao City’s hoopdom is alive with a competition that is short but very competitive. In March, there’s the Araw ng Davao basketball tournament. In August, there’s the Kadayawan cagefest. These two are the major basketball events in the city, the rest would be the usual collegiate and junior tournaments among school-based ballers and the “B” tournaments involving offices and commercial teams. This year on the 78th Araw ng Davao celebration, four teams collide anew for the championship–defending champion The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO, reigning Kadayawan champion Goldstar Hardware, multi-titled Montaña Pawnshop and visiting RM Zamboanga (a team bankrolled by boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao). The roster of teams have always been very competitive although it’s just a four-team tournament. That has been the case with these two basketball events here that’s designed to entertain the basketball-crazy Dabawenyos. The tournament may not be as prestigious as the PBA but it has time and again proven to be a blockbuster with the Dabawenyo hoop fans. The tournament is free to the public and that’s reason alone why the fans fill the cramped Almendras Gym to the rafters each game day. In recent editions of the tournament, future PBA stars like Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang and Greg Slaughter played in the tournament. Even Manny Pacquiao played in two games last year–one in Araw for TRMH-CMO and another in Kadayawan for his team MP Hotel. A little later, Manny declared he is playing and coaching in the PBA for Kia. Even the former PBA stars played here. The likes of Jojo Tangkay, Mark Andaya, Cris Calaguio and Celino Cruz came here to play. Likewise, the tournament was also made by some like Mark Yee and John Ferriols as an opportunity to return to the PBA. Even the imports who came here are no lemons. Teams paraded some of the most prolific imports like former PBA Best Import Jamelle Cornley, Victor Wade, UE star Charles Mammie, and burly Mike Harry. In the many years this cagefest has been running, Dabawenyos have learned to fall in love with it and have embraced the tournament as their very own league–a legitimate basketball league of the masses. Like the PBA, it has its own episodes of drama and conflict, bitter rivalry and controversies. Behind the action, being part of this league is no joke. Take it from team owners like Glenn Escandor of TRMH-CMO, Winston Ho of Goldstar and Armando Quibod of Montaña. This year, these three Davao teams kept their line-ups close to their chest like they’re playing poker. No one wants to drop first. Until gametime, the line-ups remained secret. But once they have seen each other in one arena, it’s where the real battlle begins–strategy adjustments and a lot of scouting. Bottomline, you can’t afford to lose–even for just one game. Notes: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” at 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8 am to 10 am. You may write the author at bravoneil@rocketmail.com.