BACOLOD City – Twelve Western Visayas-based basketball teams are set to compete in the Next Gen Hoops 4 Youth 25-Under regional playoffs this April 23 at the VMA Gymnasium here.
Among the squads that will play in the one-day tournament are Team Underground Bacolod, Agap Builders Bacolod, UNO-R, SYS Iloilo City, Martirs Place Victorias City, and Bren and Brent Escalante City.
Also seeing action are CBAC Nocturnals Team A Bacolod, COVID Survivors Bacolod, Puff Boss and Resto Talisay City, Disciples Sagay City, SBB Scorpions Silay City, and Team Kenn Talisay City.
Next Gen regional director Mark Belangel said the Top 3 teams from the one-day playoffs will play against the top three squads from Region 7 in another one-day competition in Cebu on May 4.
“This is a good opportunity for our Western Visayas-based players to showcase their talents against the best cagers from Region 7,” Belangel said.
He added: “It will also be a great avenue for the players to show what they got to the scouts not just for the collegiate team but also for other leagues in Metro Manila.”
The 12 Western Visayas-based squads topped their respective brackets from the regional elimination round participated by around 60 squads in Region 6 and held recently.
The said one-day eliminations was held simultaneously in Negros Occidental venues Juan’s Gym, NOTF Gym, Sum-ag Gym, Pahanocoy Gym, Eroreco Subdivision Basketball Covered Gym, Barangay Estefania Covered Gym, and VMA Gym.
“Most of the 60 teams that joined the regional eliminations were from Negros Occidental as they were just the teams that were able to form a lineup,” Belangel said.
“We sent invites to other parts of the region but only the Iloilo Selection agreed to participate outside of Negros. It would have been great if we have more teams from Panay area,” he added./PN
