LET’S GET IT ON – Change is also coming in basketball

By Neil Bravo
Call it an eye opener. The recent win by the City Mayor’s Office-Royal Mandaya Hotel basketball team powered by players from the De La Salle University (DLSU) is an eye opener for basketball in Davao.
The coming to fore by the youngsters from Taft brought to us the lesson that basketball is an evolving sport where fresh legs, team concept, physical condition, and defense are key factors to success or failure. This changing basketball concept is starting to open many eyes in Davao from the time the San Sebastain College squad came to play under the Phoenix team in a local tournament, then to the San Beda Red Lions squad brought in last year by CMO-TRMH, and now, DLSU Green Archers.
It paid a lot that DLSU won the title this year in a fashion so convincing that it now poses the question to the rest of the basketball stakeholders here. Are we shifting to a change in basketball programs or are we staying put with the old?
The other two Davao franchises, equally supported by generous and passionate sponsors like Winston Ho of Goldstar Hardware and Armand Quibod of Montana Pawnshop, must be starting to think about their next steps after the old formula of bringing in imports, composed mostly of ageing veterans from the PBA and a couple of American or African imports, has been proven inadequate and ineffective.
Co-managers Glenn  Escandor and Bong Go both managed to secure the services of the Green Archers for the short tournament and won. In the long haul, the basketball development program anchored on youth will be a message to all stakeholders in Davao most specially the high schools and colleges who should be inspired by the DLSU program and their game patterns after watching them play for four days here. Schools and their basketball varsity coaches and sports program directors can take a slice of the DLSU lesson and develop it in their territory.
As for the other squads, the change in the basketball landscape could be inevitable but still a matter of choice—whether to stick to the old formula of picking up players and reinforce them wit locals or directly draft a varsity school, not necessarily from Metro Manila, Luzon or the Visayas. 
We can start by launching farm teams out of varsity squads. Goldstar, Montana, and yes CMO-TRMH or Phoenix and other basketball stakeholders may start by throwing their support to the Davao varsity squads. 
With a strengthened pool of teams supported by generous firms, the local basketball backyard under the watch of the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas 11 under Regino “Boy” Cua can flourish under a new atmosphere.
It is arguably the best move and direction to go. 
(For comments, email to: bravoneil@rocketmail.com. Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” every Saturdays at 8-10 am at 105.9 Balita FM.)