In a bid to address the glaring need for more games to be played, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) has decided to implement changes in the format for the upcoming 13th season of the league which opens on August 3 at the Cebu Coliseum.
Teams will still compete in a single round-robin in the elimination round with the top squad advancing outright to the semifinals while the teams ranked two, three and four will hold a twice-to-beat advantage over their lower-seeded counterparts in the quarterfinal round. The same goes for the high school division except that the eighth and ninth ranked teams will get eliminated.
The welcome wrinkle that will be featured this season is the double round-robin format in the semifinal round. The top two teams after the said round will get to advance to the finals. The collegiate championship will be fought in a best-of-five series while the high school title showdown will be a best-of-three affair.
Southwestern University will be looking to defend the crown it earned last year with a souped-up roster that features two new African imports along with a host of blue-chip recruits including UAAP campaigner Mark Jayven Tallo.
The only holdovers from last year’s title squad are Mythical Five member Monbert Arong, starting power forward Bernie Gregondo and reserve forward Daryl Goloran.