JEDDAH, 7 December — The Safari Basketball Association with the backing of the Jeddah All-Sports Development (JADE) Safari-Chapter will try to bring exciting and high-quality level of games at the Safari Astrodome with the ambitious project of bringing in the Filipino superstars of the game plus exhilarating “imports” elsewhere in Jeddah as it appends the “Import-Plus Open Rated” and “38-Above” divisions on Dec. 28.
The “Open Rated Import Plus “ division is designed to accommodate at least three rated Filipino cagers plus one “import”, a cager of differing nationality and mixed with an array of other cagers as coaches and managers seem fit to organize.
The “Above-38” division is for players 38 years and above as a response to the hype generated by Michael Jordan’s return to NBA action playing for Washington Wizards at age 38. For further inquiries and confirmation of participation, interested parties may contact any of the following: Nestor C. Suliva at 6855555 x 1291, F. Rocky Tadili at 6855555 x 4381 and Poncie B. Santos at 685555 x 4067.
Theoretically, one team that has expressed intention to participate is Congo-Mersal. The team jointly organized by Alvin Bautista and Edgar Cunanan will be parading three rated players John Gatchalian, Dante Rivero and Jong Rapada. Its import will be either Bakhaswain or Abbas and the rest will be non-rated cagers.
Multi-titled coach D. Eco who steered the SCBA All-Stars to a fine win over the Jeddah selection plans to enter an “exception”, a team devoid of any rated players on its line-up but vows he could give any of the rated-players laden team a run for their money with a stable of non-rated name players like Ted Jamahalli, Marlo Reyes, Mon Bautista, Joseph Diaz, Darwin Domingo and Ronaldo Battarao which Eco intends to beef up with relatively new and unknown players mostly coming from the OFBL farm league and an import in Hashem.
Meanwhile, in a game delayed by almost twenty minutes of unexpected downpour, Jungleland Mersal took the heat off Budget Car Rental, 70-58, amidst moths swarming like crazy at the flood of stadium lights sweeping the Safari court when game resumed where it was momentarily stopped at the 8:35 mark of the second quarter. From a 52-52 standoff on the banked shot of Budget’s Manlapaz, Jungleland employed a crippling court-to-court press defense that was most effective with maroons Arnel Juan, Alvin Bautista, Winston Sepulchre and Panganiban conspiring for a 14-0 pulverizing of the car rental dealers.
Playing coach Philip Eustaquio showed up with a slightly better line-up than their first outing with Amazon and Manlapaz as notable reinforcements and engaged coach Egay Cunanan and team manager Jerry Lagrimas’ Mersal team in a close battle with neither team leading higher by five points up to the early minutes of the fourth.
Budget Universal Car Rental Services even took the lead, 50-49, on Amazona’s reverse shot off a rebound at the 7:06 mark of the final quarter but that would prove to be their first and final taste of the lead as Juan responded with a three-point play while collecting an unsportsmanlike foul whistled against Manlapaz. The three-points and an award of ball possession afterwards to Jungleland greatly unnerved the white shirts and was the critical shift that stemmed the tide of battle in favor of Mersal which uncorked the 17-2 blitz from that juncture for a huge 66-52 lead time down to only two minutes.
Sepulchre led the balanced Jungleland offense with 15 and the duo of Bautista and Juan drilled 13 and 12 while Amazona and Manlapaz had 16 points apiece for Budget whose woes were compounded by key player Lito Esquierdo having an off night finishing the game with a measly five points.
The Friendship Games is principally sponsored by Safari Project manager Engr. Abdullah S. Al-Shamasi and Metal Work Company represented by Ali M. Badreddine and enjoys the individual sponsorship as well of IAP senior engineer Chris Bain, general adviser of the Jeddah-All-Sports Development (JADE)- King Abdul Aziz International Airport chapter. In another development, team manager Boggs Cortez of PD-Michelin signified their intention to rejoin the Friendship Games after successfully enlisting the services of key Safari players Eugene Santos, Romy Quito and SAMBA Speed Cash mainstay Lito Taclay. Another local team, the Jeddah Thai under team coordinators Allan Yumang and Jomar “Rodman” Rontas, which enjoys a 2-1 card, is further strengthened with the arrival of veteran John Ventinilla leaving another watered-down Safari team, the Jeddah Knigthz no recourse but to recruit at least three more from nearby Binladin camp and the possible inclusion of Giant Stores’ Joseph Diaz to beef up their team to get a decent fighting chance as team manager Ludy Celestial and Nelson Salmo would wish for. The handicapping measure for strong teams and the bolstering of the weak ones in order to create a highly competitive and even keel basketball tournament is the primary aim of the SBA-endorsed Friendship Games as envisioned by its commissioner and agreed to by chairman N. Suliva and the rest of the active Safari Basketball Association officials that include vice-commissioner Rafael A. Jarme, secretary-general P. Santos, sergeant at arms Leo Pascua and technical committee member Saldy Certeza along with director for operations Ben Ramiscal and PRO Levi Estorco. Camp management represented by O & M Superintendent Bobby Victoriano and SBA general adviser Gamal Bushara are also in solid support of the Friendship Games which parades its newest entry Nivea CrËme, a streamlined version of the Gillette Mach III squad, which shed off two of its star players Pat Cecilio and Bill Pantoja to “modulate” the team and fit in with the balanced strength of squads.
