Marcial as new PBA commissioner: A good choice

this uncertain stage of its exist ence, there is no better man, indeed, to serve as Philippine Basketball Association commissioner than one coming from the rank and file. Not anyone from outside. No anyone who doesn’t have a grasp of basketball.

The PBA Board of Governors did just that, naming a long-time insider, Willie Marcial as the new man to run day-to-day affairs of the country’s pioneering professional league in the Filipinos love most. ComWillie, as current chair Ricky Vargas, puts it, grew up in the PBA.

Boss Willie, this OUTSIDER can call him by that address officially now, knows the league more than anybody else in the organization. Not even members of the board, most of whom many consider as Johnny come lately. More than anything else, the new commissioner had worked and mentored by almost those who came before him – Leo Prieto, Mariano Yenko, Rudy Salud, Rey Marquez, Jun Bernardino, Noli Eala, Sonny Barrios, Chito Salud and his predecessor Chito Narvasa.

Chair Ricky was right, Marcial is the man to help the league through.” He’ll help us through. He’ll be the healing commissioner,” said PBA chair, adding that Marcial was given a three-year term as the 10th PBA commissioner.

“At this time, it’s important to give it to somebody who grew up in the PBA, who understands the PBA, the by-laws; who has been mentored by many PBA commissioners in the past. He’s one who has learned over the years in the PBA.”

Marcial has been part of the PBA management team from the time of Eala. He rose all the way from being a statistician during the time of Prieto then floor director with TV partner Vintage Enterprises from the tenures of Salud to Bernardino.

The PBA Board of Governors, in its first meeting in the year yesterday, unanimously approved the promotion of Willie Marcial from league officer-in-charge to full-fledged commissioner, doing away with a tedious search process, deeming it better at this time to appoint Marcial as permanent commissioner in a “healing process” after going through a difficult situation at the end of the league’s 42nd season.

As this OUTDSIDER wrote several weekends ago in this space, quoting the late PBA’s founding commissioner Leo Prieto, not everybody can be a commissioner of a professional league like the PBA. He must, not only have a good grasp of the game basketball, he must, too, love and understand the sport. He must also be someone whom the board can trust and respect.

Someone whom the media can also respect. Most importantly, he must have conviction to make hard decisions. The commissioner is the face of the league. What he projects personally is what the