Gameface.ph

[gameface_one]

BAP moving on its own
THE GAME OF MY LIFE By Bill Velasco
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Philstar.com


The Basketball Association of the Philippines is alive, well, and flying under the radar. As the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas continues to draft a development program for the sport and prepare teams for international competition, the BAP - which was supposed to have merged with the SBP - is still moving. And Graham Lim is alive, well, active and wielding his independent clout in the game.

BAP organized the just-concluded Harbour Centre – 1st National Basketball Challenge of Champions from November 3 to 13, 2007 at the San Andres Gym in Manila. The tournament received support from Manila Mayor Fred Lim through the Manila Sports Council (MASCO) and the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP). FESSAP chair, Rep. Prospero Pichay and FESSAP president Tisha Abundo attended the finals.

Twelve teams joined the competition. Las Piñas College of the Colleges and Universities Sports Association (CUSA) won the first championship, defeating Asian Colleges of Science and Technology (ACSAT). Emilio Aguinaldo College overcame San Sebastian College of Cavite to claim third place. Las Piñas College qualifies for the Asian University Basketball Federation (AUBF) tournament in China in June.

BAP sec-gen Lim also serves in the same capacity in the AUBF, with legendary Korean hotshot Shin Dong Pa as president. Honorary chairman is former FIBA president, Dr. Carl Men Ky Ching, The BAP will next stage the 62nd National Students Basketball Championship in Pangasinan in February.

Lim said the tournament is just the highlight of a very active year for the BAP, which continues to act on its own, organizing tournaments and bringing together different basketball organizations.

“We are still working, as we have always done,” Lim sniffed, before commenting on what he alleges is a concerted effort to discredit him. “People are saying things against me, but I continue to work for basketball, and we have had very successful events this year.”

To illustrate his point, Lim enumerated the BAP’s accomplishments for the year. He cited the Philippine- Korean Friendship Games in February; the 61st National Students Championship, the National City League Championship (organized with the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), and the FESSAP National Tournament called Philippine Universiade.

Lim says none of these projects would have become reality, without his connections with important political and business personalities who pitch in to help finance and lend logistical support to his projects.

“It’s good that we still have friends who are willing to help basketball, especially when we ask for their help in organizing events,” Lim added.

Since the Unity Congress last February, Lim practically dropped under the radar of local basketball. SBP has had a few high-profile projects, including a coaching clinic and seminar with Serbian coach Vlade Djurovic, the recruitment of Fil-Am Vicki Brick for the Philippine women’s team, and coordination of training center’s and workshops for basketball stakeholders all over the country.

But for years, Lim has been putting together  basketball tournaments that second- and third-tier schools and organizations have been joining. Whether or not the events are widely recognized, the fact remains that he is still working parallel to the SBP, which is slowly gathering momentum as it prepares teams for the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next month.

Surprisingly, it illustrates that there are still some stakeholders in basketball (albeit of a lower profile) who are allied to the BAP, and have not fully bought into the touted unification of the community. It also means the SBP still has some work to do in penetrating all the way down to the smaller leagues. This can eventually become a divisive scenario.

[amdgc82]

Pichay new BAP head 
People's Tonight
December 13, 2007 Thursday

FIRST   it’s surfing. Then, chess.
   
Now, former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay  is  also  the   president  of   the   controversial    Basketball Association  of   the   Philippines (BAP).
   
Pichay was unanimously elected  as  president of the controversial   basketball   organization during  the  National  Congress  at  the   IRTC Conference   Hall  of   the  Technological  University of  the Philippines   in  San  Marcelino, Manila  yesterday.   
   
Pichay  takes  the  place of   Go Teng  Kok, who  resigned as head  of  the   basketball  association.
   
“Just like  in  the NCFP,   I’ll  be  a  hands-on working president, and  not just a paper president,” said  Pichay, who  was also   recently elected as  chairman of the  Federation of   Schools Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP).
   
The BAP remains committed  to  uplifting Philippine  basketball  with a year-long program of activities set  for year 2008.
   
Pichay  said  he  would  concentrate   on  developing homegrown  talents  rather than rely on the  quick-fix  policy of acquiring talents  from  abroad.
   
“Basketball is  our national pastime, said Pichay, “and  I would like  to  bring  back the  old Filipino brand  of  play and  strategy which   helped us become  not  only an   Asian  but also  international power  during the 150s and  1960s.”
   
Among those present during  yesterday’s meeting  were  Rep.   Luis R. Villafuerte, the BAP chair;  Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Ra. Cagas, BAP vice-chairman; Tisha Abundo, BAP vice-chairman  and   concurrently the   president  of  the   NCRAA and  FESSAP;   Christian Tan, the BAP executive  vice-president; and Tanduay executive Wilson Young, the  BAP vice-president for  Luzon.
   
With  Pichay  at  the   helm,   the BAP has put  together a busy  agenda for   year 2008.
   
Among the  events scheduled are  the  62nd National  Students  Basketball Championships in  Cebu City from Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2008;  and   the National  City League Basketball Championships  (which   will include  international cities   such as Moscow, Belgrade, Seoul, Istanbul and Colorado  Spring USA as  participants) in  May. 

[BigBlue]

Buhay pa ba ang BAP na yan? at sa lahat ng pwede nilang kunin, si Pichay pa??
what are these guys thinking?
 

[abcdef]

I thought BAP-SBP works as one. So this means BAP is working though unrecognized by FIBA? OR SBP grants that BAP do such activities?

[joelex]

ok na yan. kesa SBP laki ng gastos sa FIBA ni top 4 wala. nakakahiya. gregorio doesnt know his basketball as well as his finance.

[JonarSabilano]

Graham Lim, is that you?

[JonarSabilano]

“Basketball is  our national pastime, said Pichay, “and  I would like  to  bring  back the  old Filipino brand  of  play and  strategy which   helped us become  not  only an   Asian  but also  international power  during the 150s and  1960s.”
   

Patay tayo d'yan.

[AnthonyServinio]

I thought BAP-SBP work as as one. So this means BAP is working though unrecognized by FIBA? OR SBP grants that BAP do such activities?

     THE discredited Chinese-controlled BAP will still be allowed to exist but this time, they are just considered as one of the many organizations under the BAP-SBP umbrella.  They are now just like any other basketball organization or league and may conduct their own activities.  Bottomline, BAP can have as many projects as they want but it will only be the BAP-SBP that will have the FIBA recognition and have the right to organize Philippine teams to FIBA-sanctioned events.

     To recall the events that led to the creation of BAP-SBP, the issue of the organization's name was so touchy that they finally decided to append the name BAP to SBP upon the insistence of the old BAP's hardliners.

[AnthonyServinio]

“Basketball is  our national pastime, said Pichay, “and  I would like  to  bring  back the  old Filipino brand  of  play and  strategy which   helped us become  not  only an   Asian  but also  international power  during the 150s and  1960s.”
   

Patay tayo d'yan.

     ACCORDING to some sports figures who attended the BAP Congress, what Rep. Prospero Pichay meant was that the BAP would try to discover more talents from the grassroots.  He mentioned the days when all-Pinoy crews would bring home championships as compared to today's team that is loaded with Fil-foreigners which could not even figure prominently in the medal race.

[BigBlue]

“Basketball is  our national pastime, said Pichay, “and  I would like  to  bring  back the  old Filipino brand  of  play and  strategy which   helped us become  not  only an   Asian  but also  international power  during the 150s and  1960s.”
   

Patay tayo d'yan.

     ACCORDING to some sports figures who attended the BAP Congress, what Rep. Prospero Pichay meant was that the BAP would try to discover more talents from the grassroots.  He mentioned the days when all-Pinoy crews would bring home championships as compared to today's team that is loaded with Fil-foreigners which could not even figure prominently in the medal race.

this reasoning is illogical and quite ignorant, since it fails to consider that the basketball programs of other countries like China, Lebanon, Iran and Korea have progressed.

[AnthonyServinio]

“Basketball is  our national pastime, said Pichay, “and  I would like  to  bring  back the  old Filipino brand  of  play and  strategy which   helped us become  not  only an   Asian  but also  international power  during the 150s and  1960s.”
   

Patay tayo d'yan.

     ACCORDING to some sports figures who attended the BAP Congress, what Rep. Prospero Pichay meant was that the BAP would try to discover more talents from the grassroots.  He mentioned the days when all-Pinoy crews would bring home championships as compared to today's team that is loaded with Fil-foreigners which could not even figure prominently in the medal race.

this reasoning is illogical and quite ignorant, since it fails to consider that the basketball programs of other countries like China, Lebanon, Iran and Korea have progressed.

     WHAT do you expect, it's the BAP!

      But in fairness to them, one thing they have over BAP-SBP is that they already have a "concrete" calendar of activities for 2008.

[oca]

If the calendar shows nothing but tournaments, that has little significance. At yun lang naman talaga ang ibinibida ng BAP.

Imo, SBP, as the governing body of the most popular sports in the country, should NOT be invovled in organizing or hosting tournaments.

As it is, the basketball calendar is loaded with tournaments. Sabay-sabay pa nga at all levels. Tuloy-tuloy walang patid until just before Christmas and to resume soon after the New Year revelry.

Kahit nuong panahon na inutil ang governing body ng basketball, tuloy-tuloy ang mga liga at dumami pa nga.
 
What needs to be done is to coordinate and synchronize the schedules of these various leagues. Here, the SBP must assert its influence.

Pero kung meron mang caledario na dapat ipakita ang SBP, ito ay yung mga tournaments na lalahukan ng ating mga national teams.

Marapat malaman ng maaga nang mga iba’t-ibang malalaking liga, eg PBA, PBL, UAAP at NCAA, kung anong mga torneo ang lalahukan ng NT. Dahil napipilayan ang mga member teams ng mga nasabing liga pag may player silang committed sa NT.

Liban sa pag coordinate at synchronize ng mga sched ng iba’t-ibang liga at pag-asikaso ng NT, dapat —

-Ituloy at palawakin pa ng SBP yung player development. More kids deserved to be trained by the likes of Mon Fernandez and Eric Comptom.

-Bigyan ng malawak na training ang pinoy referees na aayon sa FIBA rules.

-Huwag lang basta accreditation ang ibigay sa mga coaches. Dapat may continuing education program para maiangat ang antas ng coaching. Importante ito. Hindi lahat ng bata ay mapapasailalim sa programa ng player development ng SBP. Hindi lahat ng bata ay mapapabilang sa pool ng national youth team. Kaya marapat yung mga batang hindi mapapabilang sa programa ay hawak ng coaches na may alam. Hindi na pwedeng pulos oido.

Tournaments… more tournaments?

Well, an office calendar will sure look impressive if there are many dates blocked. Mas maganda nga tignan kung gagamitan ng highligther. Magkakaiba ang kulay para mas impessive!

[yungha]

they're scouring the countryside in the hopes of finding the next danny aying or danny capobres.

[Mateen Cleaves]

OK lang 'yong mga tournament. But the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if they're not also organizing themselves for a coup when the next SBP elections come up. 

[oca]

OK lang 'yong mga tournament. But the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if they're not also organizing themselves for a coup when the next SBP elections come up. 

I doubt if this BAP will regain control of basketball's governing body.

Their list of accredited members has been purged, w/c they contested... obviously. So, either they participate in the election with not enough members on their side or kumuha sila ng TRO. Either way, they won't get elected.

Of course, if all those allegations against Gregorio are true, then it may just alienate members/ regional and provincial groups who were initially on the side of SBP. But I doubt if this will result in them voting for BAP candidates. Most likely they will nominate another candidate if they are not happy with Gregorio. A candidate that is acceptable to MVP.

Pero pag dumating yung pagkakataon na makita ko ang mga member schools ng UAAP at NCAA participating in BAP events, I may have a change of opinion. Pero sa ngayon, malabo ma-regain ng BAP yung control sa basketball.