Coca-Cola PBA Youngstars hoop gets going today

EIGHT YOUTH-BASED squads duke it out for the right to represent the Cebu as they compete in the Coca Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball Tournament today at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) old campus along Mango Avenue.

Competing in this tournament are the SHS-AdC and the University of the Visayas, the two frontrunners for this tournament especially with their impressive resume of titles at the grassroots level.

Also battling it out will be the University of San Carlos North and South Campus, Cebu Eastern College Dragons, University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Thumbs-Up and team B of the SHS-AdC.

The tournament, which is on its first year of a three-year agreement between Coca-Cola and the PBA, features teams with players between the ages of 13 to 16 years old. Each team is composed of three players each of the four age groups (13, 14, 15 and 16).

The Cebu champion represents the province in the Visayas regional finals, which will be held May 19 and 20 in Bacolod. The Visayas champion moves on to the national finals May 27 to June 1 in Manila.

The other major areas being contested are Northern Luzon which is composed of Pampanga, Pangasinan and Isabela. Southern Luzon will also draw a champion from Laguna, Cavite or Batangas. Mindanao is composed of Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos. The Visayas is composed of Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio