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The controversial 2008 National Students' Basketball Championships (NSBC) comes off the wraps today with only one Cebu-based school playing in the collegiate division.
The collegiate battle will be played at the Cebu Coliseum, while the secondary division will be held at the Minglanilla Sports Complex.
The opening ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at the Cebu Coliseum. Before the formal opening, three games will be played starting at 8 a.m.
Initially, five collegiate Cebu-based teams signified their intention to join but it is only the University of the Visayas (UV) which will be pushing through with its participation.
“There is no order from our school president (Eduardo Gullas) to back out, so our decision is we will play,” UV head coach Boy Cabahug said.
“Sir Eddie told me that we will play not because we are siding with the BAP. The tournament will be held here in Cebu and it will be ironic if there will be no Cebu team. We are even spending just to play outside Cebu, now that the tournament is in Cebu, why will we not play?” Cabahug added.
Cabahug said that UV is willing to face the consequences of their decision to play.
The withdrawal of some teams came after the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) issued a warning to its member schools not to join the tournament, which is organized by the BAP.
Those who backed out were the University of San Carlos , Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology and Asian College of Technology.
Southwestern University has yet to decide as of press time whether it will join or not.
Although they withdrew in the collegiate battle, SCSIT will compete in the secondary division along with UV, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits, and University of Southern Philippines Foundation.
Joining UV in the collegiate division are University of Luzon-Dagupan of Region I, Angeles University Foundation of Region 3, Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas and University of Perpetual Help-Binan of Region 4, Western Leyte College of Region 8, Immaculate Conception Archdiocesan School of Region 9, Pilgrim Christian College of Region 10, Fr. Saturnino Urino University and Saint Vincent De Paul College of CARAGA Region and Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Asian College of Science and Technology, City College of Manila and Las Pinas College of NCR.
Other secondary competitors are Bohol Institute of Technology-International College, Dumaguete's St. Louis School-Don Bosco, University of Pangasinan of Region I, Kids World Christian Academy of Region 4, Aklan Polytechnic of Region 6, Leyte National High School of Region 8, WLC, PCC, FSUU, SVDPC and NCR's Benedictine International School and St. Jude College. /Correspondent Calvin D. Cordova
