African imports to spice up Cesafi hoop wars

WITH THE 12TH SEASON of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) looming on the horizon, commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy believes that the entry of the African imports will be good for the competition and the league as well.

Nearly all the teams in the UAAP and the NCAA are armed with African imports as they try to follow the blueprint that was followed by the San Beda Red Lions in 2006 when they took in center Sam Ekwe to man the middle. That partnership produced three titles for the Red Lions and kickstarted a dominant run by San Beda.

The Cesafi may have been behind with regards to this practice but they are steadily following suit with last year’s losing finalists Southwestern University adding one more Cameroonian to their fold in Ben Mbala. The Cobras already have Justin Aboude, the 6-foot-7 center who helped get the Cobras into the finals last year.

Not to be outdone, the nine-time champions University of the Visayas Green Lancers picked up a Cameroonian of their own in Steve Akobo, a 6-foot-8 project in the making.

“This is good for the Cesafi. This will really create interest sa fans,” said Tiukinhoy. “These are not just tall players but also skilled players. They will also help raise up the level of play not just in the league but in the players as well.”

Tiukinhoy also said he is not worried about the competitive balance of the league./Correspondent Jonas Panerio