ALKHOBAR: Basketball fans need not wait long for the Ramadan Eid holidays to get to enjoy quality basketball entertainment. For two successive Fridays beginning on March 6 UFSA-DBL will mount exhibition games featuring the cream of Filipino cagers in Saudi Arabia.
The event dubbed Best Rivals Ultimate Basketball Showdown heralds the return in a big way of the rapidly growing basketball group after it had sorted out its problem with officials at Al Nada Sports Club that led to the suspension of the UFSA-DBL 5th Season Grand Fiesta Conference.
Bubbling with excitement while speaking to Arab News in a phone interview from Alkhobar, UFSA-DBL (United Filipino Sports Association-Dammam Basketball League) Commissioner Abdul Aziz “Jawo” Dizon said, “This is our way to remind our friends and supporters that we’re still around to bring special basketball events for the enjoyment of all.”
The exhibition games will be held starting 1:30 p.m. at the Al Nada stadium on the Alkhobar-Dammam highway, according to Dizon who has been busy promoting the event.
A select Riyadh team under the banner of Nesma Trading Co. Ltd. is coming to town to try and challenge three crack teams from the Eastern Province. The last time Riyadh saw action in an Inter-regional event here it narrowly missed the championship crown and fans are particularly curious if this latest foray could be the payback time.
The Nesma Traders will be led by the popular duo of Roel Ansay and Ankie Angeles, who both will start alongside Noel David, Paolo Malonzo and Anthony Somera.
The Eastern Province’s championship-winning teams to show their wares in the two Fridays-only competition are Fahd Alireza Engineering Consultants, NPC Pipers and Kentz Constructors.
The lineups of the three teams as well as that of Nesma include players with experience in the PBA, MBA, PBL and college basketball.
The Fahd Alireza first five are ex-Batangas Blades Allan de Castro, Winnie Datuputi, Eldrin Simpas, Omar Asmad and Christian Guevarra. The starters for NPC are ex-PBA Purefoods Jessie Cabanayan, Anthony Nabong, Edgar Bucalin, Romel Lamapiton and Jordan Sinio. For Kenz the starting five are ex-PBA San Miguel Beerman Arnold Calo, Alvin Serrano, Allan Botito, Boyet Katigbak and Kim Calo.
The sponsors are Fahd Alireza Engineering Consultants and Universal Motors Agencies.
Helping Dizon run the show are Ely Panahon, chairman; Choy Tubaying, deputy commissioner; Tito Pineda, director general; Willy “Omar” Fajardo, league adviser, Victor delos Santos, finance director, Pol Blance, auditor; and Ricky Mamaid, promotion and advertising director.
