Opening doors
SBP welcomes public school teams in 2017
2017 for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Davao Chapter is all about emphasizing the marginalized sectors.
The SBP has helped open sports opportunities to players, coaches, as well as referees to more public high school teams in the region.
SBP executive program Officer Ronel Leuterio, said SBP regional director and presidential adviser for sports Glenn Escandor’s term is all about opening opportunities and providing avenue for the grassroots level since basketball is already vibrant in the entire country.
Leuterio further explained that the programs of the organization for the year 2017 turned out as expected, “the public can attest to it”.
Public high school teams were focused this year since they have been secluded in majority of the leagues during the previous years.
Public school teams entered the G.E.T. Cup Inter High School Basketball Tournament in 2016 through the organization’s partnership with businessman-sportsman Willie Torres. Since then, SBP has continued to support building opportunities for teams from public schools.
The Escandor Cup, joined by private school teams, also became an inter-public high school basketball tournament this year which came along with a clinic for public school coaches and teachers facilitated by Leuterio.
The cup is still ongoing and will resume on January after the break.
It simultaneously tipped off along with the second season of G.E.T. Inter-Public High School Basketball Tournament that came to a close just this month.
On a different note, SBP also opened a total of 40 slots for all interested boys’ and girls’ schoolbased teams in the region earlier this year that was held at the Davao City Recreation Center.
Registration fees and uniforms were all shouldered by the SBP including all the expenses of the regional champions on their trip to the national finals.
Moreover, SBP also ushered the staging of Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) which came to a close last November in DCRC.
The annual PCCL went on a hiatus last year due to budget constraints but the SBP regional director assured that it will return this 2017 under his term.
Leuterio, meantime, plans to create an avenue for girls in 2018 while maintaining the public high school program.
“I’d like to see the day na madaming babae ang mabigyan ng opportunity na makakuha ng scholarship din,” Leuterio said while counting on the full support of the presidential adviser for sports Escandor.