JEDDAH: After the interregnum live basketball action the kind that makes you keep coming back to returns at the Ahmed Kaki Sport Complex (Orca) court as the WPBL opens shop with a grand opening to its 9th Conference today.
The opening ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. Welfare Officer Dr. Romualdo G. Exmundo of OWWA is the chief guest at the opening day of the WPBL’s season-ending tournament. The traditional parade of teams is to highlight the ceremony and PSKAI Karatedo team will perform synchronized team kata with Bunkai.
In keeping with the WPBL (Western Province Basketball League) tradition of quality and credibility the tournament field has been limited, according to WPBL Chairman Camansa “Rams” Gunao. “We would not compromise our long-standing commitment to provide the basketball-loving Pinoys in the Western Province high quality basketball entertainment. For us, it’s not the more the merrier but the maximum satisfaction guaranteed is what matters,” said Gunao who marked his first foray into bigger ventures outside of Jeddah when he headed the WPBL delegation in the Inter-Regional basketball showdown in Alkhobar during the Ramadan Eid holidays.
For the first time in the history of the league, a team from Yanbu is seeing action in the competition. Also, Bugshan Hospital, second runner-up in the last conference, is returning for the Developmental Division battles along with Trap, Friendster and D’Barkads. Completing the roster are Pepsi-Cola, MOP-Saudi Design, SBG-Premco Division and Yanbu Dream Team.
Naghi (Hyundai) will defend its Inter-Company crown under the Snickers banner. Saudi Oger is to make its debut in the WPBL-organized tournaments, entering a team in the nine-team Inter-Company Division where holdovers from the last tournament Balubaid, Panda and BTC are taking part as well as Intercon-Jeddah, Sete, Koj Est. and Toyota. The signature category of WPBL, Inter-Maguindanao Division, attracted eight teams namely Zamboanga, Cotabato Blades, Pantao Ragat, Pagadian, Basilan, Matahir, Saguiranians and GenSan. All told 25 teams registered for the 9th Conference.
With Gunao in the Organzing Committee are Commissioner Don Sindayen, Finance Manager Ismail “Mike” Aliudin, Executive Secretary Kurt Einstein, General Secretary Manny Ulak, and Technical Director Abedin F. Gunao. The advisers are Hamdan Alharithy and Omar “Joemar” Baganian and Mohammad Bayoumi is the technical adviser-consultant.
