Davide Cup for hoops Cebu Province Sports Commission wants Cebu-wide basketball tournament for 18 to 25 age group

CEBU Province is planning a province-wide basketball tournament for 18-to 25-year-old players next year. Dubbed the 2017 Gov. Hilario Davide III Cup, the tournament will pit teams from the province’s component cities and municipalities.

The Cebu Province Sports Commission, which is headed by executive director Atty. Ramil Abing and former Bogo City Mayor Junie Martinez, who is the prime mover of the competition, are hoping the mayors will take this as an opportunity for their towns and cities to field a team in the event.

“This tournament is in line with our grassroots program since it involves the youth 18 years old and above. Although basketball is our least prioritized sport, we can’t deny that it is the most popular sport in the towns. Any fiesta or event would not be complete without a basketball tournament. Our (CPSC) mandate is to help develop grassroots athletes. So we’re throwing our full support to this project,” Abing said.

Competitive team

Martinez, for his part, will try to convince the mayors to gather all their top players and create a competitive team.

“This is an opportunity for players from the towns to shine. They need this kind of tournament to be discovered and acquire an athletic scholarship. This would be an opportunity for towns, too, to showcase whatever they have,” said Martinez.

The tournament will adopt a home-and-away format and the ticket sales will go to the home team.

Only 12 players can be in the lineup with three on the re- serves list. Seven players must be home-grown talents, while the five may come from the ranks of current and former varsity players.

Should this push through, this will be the first provincewide tournament in Cebu since the Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup started in the previous administration with help from the Cebu Volleyball Association.