COLLEGIATE AND high school teams aspiring for the wild card of the National Students Basketball Championships have until tomorrow to submit their letters of intent and the credentials of their players.
This deadline was agreed upon following a meeting last Saturday of the Philippine Basketball Federation and its member leagues, including the powerhouse Universities and Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Colleges and Universities Sports Athletic Association (CUSAA).
PBF President Mauricio Martelino confirmed that the opening day of the tournament featuring both male and female divisions will be on Feb. 17 and will cover a period of 10 days.
Martelino also announced that the format of the wild card eliminations is a knock out system and the winner of the series will advance to the tournament proper along with 11 others, three from the National Capital Region and nine from the basketball regions which are members of the PBF.
Other regions to be represented are Luzon A, B, C, and D, Western and Eastern Visayas and Eastern and Western Mindanao.
Non-PBF member leagues have also been invited to join the eliminations for the wild card.
"We have high hopes that this tournament of champions will heighten the national following for college and high school basketball. The presence of popular champions like those from the UAAP, NCAA and the CUSAA will certainly be our big boost," Martelino pointed out.
PBF vice president Nic Jorge added that this first major undertaking of the federation will set the tone for the rest of the year within which PBF seeks to increase the activities to promote the sport in various levels including kids’ basketball.
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