PBA All Stars hopping over to Davao next
BACOLOD – The PBA is looking at Davao as potentially the next venue for the annual All-Star Weekend as it considers bringing the annual festivities to Mindanao after back-toback stops in the Visayas.
“Baka sa Mindanao, baka sa Davao,” commissioner Willie Marcial said yesterday as the pro league wrapped up what he considered a largely successful staging here.
The PBA last held an All-Star game in Mindanao in 2018 in Digos, featuring the PBA Mindanao All Stars against the PBA Smart All Stars. The ASG went to Calasiao in Pangasinan in 2019 then post-pandemic, headed to Passi, Iloilo last year before having its latest swing in the City of Smiles.
Marcial expressed elation with the Bacolod All-Star Weekend’s warm reception and turnout.
“One of the successful All-Star na ginawa natin,” he said as he assessed the latest edition of mid-season activity that returned to Bacolod after 16 long years.
Over the last four days, the pro league held a series of well-followed activities like Meet and Greets, Fan Zones, basketball and referees clinics, school visit, the Skills Events, including the first Three-Point Shootout for Big Men, and the centerpiece All Star Game.
Highlight of the Bacolod staging was the exciting ASG at a packed University of St. La Salle Gym, where Team Japeth and Team Mark enthralled fans with both their dance moves and hoops skills.
The two fought to a draw, 140-140, in a thriller that saw Team Mark’s Robert Bolick force a stalemate with an epic five-point play in the dying seconds.
“Ang ganda ng performance ng sayaw ‘nung mga players. Talagang pinaghandaan. Tapos lahat ng mga immersions natin, gustong-gusto ng mga tao. Talagang sobrang niyakap ng mga taga Bacolod ang PBA,” said Marcial.
“Tapos ‘yung game pa. Wala na akong masasabi pa,” he added while apologizing to those who weren’t able to enter the USLS Gym during the game.
“Ang dami pang tao sa labas na hindi nakapasok so humihingi rin kami ng pasensya, napuno na rin kasi ‘yung gym. Sa susunod, sa October babalik tayo dito for an official game.”
Team Mark was down by as many as 31 and even faced an 11-point deficit going the last 1:42 but just refused to quit. Captain Mark Barroca chopped off Team Japeth’ lead by two from the stripe before Bolick erupted from the four-point arc (27 feet and beyond).
Bolick canned one to get Team Mark to within five then converted another while getting fouled by Calvin Oftana with 17.8 ticks left to open the door for a deadlock. He made the freebie and the game finished as a tie.