By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — Six new schools are set to join the National Athletics Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) as the league opens its 24th season on October 21 at the Makati Coliseum.
NAASCU basketball commissioner and head of operations Cris Bautista said the expansion should make the new season more competitive, with the newcomers eager to establish themselves against the league’s established programs.
“It’s exciting because the new members want to prove something,” Bautista said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.
The six new members are ICI College, Gardner College, Philippine International College, Bestlink College, St. Bernadette of Lourdes College and Regis Marie College.
They will join defending basketball champion St. Clare, which is chasing an eighth consecutive title, along with Enderun Colleges, Our Lady of Fatima University, New Era University, University of Makati, Manuel L. Quezon University, Philippine Christian University and City University of Pasay.
This season carries the theme, “Beyond Greatness. Together, We Move Forward.”
Bautista, who represented NAASCU chairman Dr. Jay Adalem at the forum, said the basketball tournament will run through December before the league shifts to other sports early next year.
Volleyball, table tennis, badminton, chess, taekwondo and cheerdance are scheduled for the succeeding competitions.
Bautista expects the expanded basketball field to provide stiff competition, noting that several of the newcomers have already won titles in their respective leagues.
“Hindi sila basta-basta because they are champions in their own leagues. I heard Gardner College won a tournament in Indonesia,” he said.
The 14 participating teams have been divided into two groups for the elimination round, with the top teams advancing to the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
The returning schools were grouped according to their rankings from last season, while the six newcomers were distributed through a draw.
Games will be played from Monday to Friday in the seniors, women’s and juniors divisions.
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