Fil-Chinese schools look to make their mark in PSSBC cage tourney

Fil-Chinese schools look to make their mark in PSSBC cage tourney

by rick olivares

The NCAA and UAAP Juniors powerhouse teams are favorites to win it the 6^th Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship Dickies Underwear Cup that takes place from December 16-21 at the SGS Gym in Quezon City as well as the Chiang Kai Shek College Gym in Manila.

But not if the Filipino-Chinese Schools can help it.

With the Tiong Lian Cup in limbo after its member schools found themselves in disagreement over certain statues, the PSSBC has become an important tournament for some of its refugees such as Chiang Kai Shek College, Hope Christian High School, and Manila Patriotic School.

“It is good exposure for us since nawala yung Tiong Lian,” said Hope Christian High School head coach Jerson Cabiltes. “We’ve had some of our players go to high profile programs like Ateneo, La Salle, and San Beda so nakilala na rin school namin. For our end, it is a good opportunity specially to face schools from the NCAA and UAAP. To test not only our players but also our coaching.”

For Goldwyn Monteverde of CKSC which has become a force in high school caging, “We are looking to test our team against last year’s UAAP Juniors champion FEU – although marami na nag-graduate sa kanila – and this year’s NCAA champions, La Salle Greenhills. You always want to see kung nasaan kayo in terms of competitiveness and know how. Plus, high profile tournaments like the PSSBC which is run very well by Coach Edster Sy are good for grassroots ball.”

Added Manila Patriotic School coach Kenyon Chee, “We’re a very old school (they were established in 1912) and we looked to participate in the Tiong Lian but we’re also in a prestigious tournament. If we do well, then it is good for our school which has a very small student population of 400.”

Taking part in the 12-school pocket tournament are Far Eastern University, San Beda College, and MPS who are bracketed in Group A; National University, Colegio de San Juan De Letran, and CKSC who are in Group B; University of Santo Tomas, Malayan Institute of Technology, and the University of Visayas that comprise Group C; and University of the Philippines, LSGH, and HCHS that make up Group D.

“The PSSBC complements the other grassroots basketball leagues in the country,” pointed out Sy. “If you noticed our line-up of schools, we now have the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) champion, UV, with us. “As part of our vision, we want exposure for as many schools as much as possible. But we don’t want to make it easy. You have to be the top in your league. So even the Fil-Chinese schools have to earn it. If they do win it like the PSSBC’s first ever champion, HCHS, that’s good for their program.”

Davies Paints, Choi Garden, and Molten are the official sponsors of the 6^th PSSBC Dickies Underwear Cup.