Country first, PBL’s thrust for the season

By Zenaida Dadacay
Business Mirror
October 19, 2007

With the goal of ensuring the success of the RP men’s basketball team, the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) vowed to do anything to make sure that the Filipinos will win the gold medal in the 24th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in December.

PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad said that the league will exert all its effort to help the cause of the national team in the coming biennial meet.

“We will not stand in the way that would hinder the formation of a competitive national team that will participate in the SEAG in December,” Trinidad said during the launching of the PBL V-Go Energy Drink Cup yesterday at Gerry’s Grill Restaurant in Pasay City.

Trinidad added the league is willing to lend Fil-American cager Gabe Norwood to the national team to guarantee that the Filipino dribblers will defend their crown in the biennial meet.

Norwood, the six-foot-five standout from George Mason University, arrived in the country Wednesday night after a brief vacation in the US.

“If we can make our best players available for the national team, we will do it because we really want to win the gold medal,” Trinidad added.

Newly appointed PBL chairman Cecilio Pedro of Hapee Toothpaste, the team that picked the 22-year-old Norwood in the last PBL draft, expressed the same sentiment and said he is more than willing to let the promising player don the national colors.

“I have my own interest when we got Norwood. But we have a responsibility to the country, that’s why we are supporting our national team. We will allow him to suit up for national team if that would boost our effort to win the gold in the SEAG,” said Pedro.

The men’s basketball competition is back on the SEA Games calendar. The country hosted the last biennial meet but no basketball competition was held, because the Philippines was still suspended by the Fiba.

“The SEA Games is the last international title that we have right now. We have to protect it or else, we’ll better swim back home,” Trinidad said.

Meanwhile, a party-like atmosphere will usher in the opening of the 2007 PBL V-Go Energy Drink Cup this Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.

Expected to lead the colorful opening rites set at 1 p.m. are San Juan City Mayor JV Ejercito and members of the Special Olympic Team. Some of the country’s top bands will also grace the opening ceremonies.

Trinidad and Ejercito will do the ceremonial toss in the 2 p.m. curtain-raiser game between the league’s newest team Pharex Medics and San Mig Coffee (formerly Magnolia).

In the second game, Bacchus Energy Drink tackles Toyota Balintawak set at 4 p.m.

Rock bands Bloomfields and Blueketchup will hold a preopening concert, while Protein Shake will sing the PBL jingle live.

Games will be covered by Solar Sports, which also prepares a video presentation prior to the traditional parade of the member-teams and team officials. The Philippine team is the guest squad of the tournament.