PBA CHAIR ON LEAGUE EXPANSION, ASIAN IMPORTS AND GILAS
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Nov 2014
Gregorio.
The opening ceremony of the PBA 40TH Season held before a record 52,612 enthusiasts at the giant Philippine Arena in Bulacan could have easily earned more or less P9 million.
PBA chair Patrick Gregorio of Talk ?N Text assured this last Saturday in an interview over the weekly SCOOP on Air radio program aired over DZEC.
?Yeah, the income generated from the opening day, which is, by the way is another high in the history of the pro-league, won?t be far from that figure,? Gregorio told his interviewers during the every Thursday episode of the daily ?Tropang Bistag? program.
?That amount only represents sold tickets and does not include the non-revenue passes allocated to PBA and Philippine Arena personnel, sponsors and others who in one way or another were accommodated inside the Arena.
Gregorio also announced that while the on-going Philippine Cup kicks off the 40th Season, the actual celebration of the league?s four-decade of existence will be held April next year where he, added, more interesting activities await the fans.
?As I said during the pre-season Chairman?s Ball, this season will be a ?Parangal? year to pay tribute to the PBA fans, but, likewise, honor all the people, including those from media, who, in one way or another, contributed to the formation of the league and its becoming what it is today,? Gregorio announced.
Gregorio said that plans are also afoot to expand the present 12-team field top include one or two more participants from the Visayas and Mindanao.
?Kung ang Cebu ay nabalitaan natin na nagtatayo ng isa ring malaking basketball coliseum, hind po naman siguro malayong may kapasidad itong magtayo ng isang koponang puedeng lumahok sa PBA in the future,? he reasoned out.
The earlier announced plan to reinforce each participating team with one Asian import will definitely be imposed in the Third Conference, which is the Governors? Cup.
?We will be doing this to widen our fan base as to include the many expats who are based in our country either because of their jobs or studies,? he explained, adding that each team will be allowed to get one non-Filipino Asian player.
This is apart from the usual practice of allowing each team imports, mostly Americans, of varying heights.
Another feature of the 40th year celebration, according to Gregorio is to oblige each player to go back to their place of origin and conduct separate basketball clinics among the youths aspiring to become PBA players like them.
?If, at present, we have 14 players comprising each team, this means we will be having 168 players that will be conducting clinics in the barangays where they came from. And this, I believe is another first in the history of the PBA,? he emphasized.
Grerorio, a former secretary general of the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas, clarified that the Philippine team, known as Gilas Pilipinas, that carried the country?s colors in last year?s FIBA Asia, World Cup and Asian Games championships has not been disbanded as reported in media.
?Gilas Pilipinas is a program aimed at improving the Philippines? campaign in international competitions we are committed,? Gregorio clarified. ?The SBP along with its partner, the PBA, will just be reviewing the program to determine what went wrong with it and how to remedy the problem.?
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