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NCAA to follow PBA template

THE NCAA hopes to have the successful PBA Clark bubble as its template when the country’s oldest collegiate athletic league holds its coronavirus-stalled Season 96.

The league is plotting to open the competitions with only four events in the second quarter of next year, with giant network GMA as its new television partner.

Having consulted with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial recently, one of the league’s focal points of the discussion will be the system the PBA implemented in holding the Philippine Cup.

That’s a possibility but we’ll see what happens,” said NCAA Management Committee chairman Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, of host Letran during last Thursday’s memorandum of agreement signing with GMA.

The league’s initial plan was splitting its basketball and volleyball events to two groups.

Letran, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, Lyceum of the Philippines, Mapua and Jose Rizal University will be in the Intramuros’ self-contained environment, while San Beda, Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, San Beda and College of Saint Benilde will be either in the Recto or Mendiola bubble.

A proposal of staging the season patterned after the Southeast Asian Games, where all events including track and field, swimming and e-sports will be finished in two to three weeks.

The league has formalized its partnership with television giant GMA 7, which will televise its games in the next five seasons.

NCAA Policy Board head and Letran rector and president Rev. Fr. Clarence Marquez, OP. is grateful that GMA had came forward and offered its expertise in order for the NCAA to turn the dreams of its student-athletes into reality.

More than putting ink on paper, this MOA between the NCAA and GMA Network is really an act of hope, committing the 10-member schools of the first and longest-running collegiate athletic league in partnership with the number one multi-media network, to fulfilling the dreams of our student-athletes to healthy and safe competition, and inspiring our school communities and the entire country towards a better way of engaging and enjoying sports, especially in the context of this pandemic,” said Marquez.

GMA will give basketball, volleyball, swimming, athletics and cheerleading airtime.

We believe that with GMA’s reach and platforms, the NCAA will be the undisputed number one collegiate league in the country. The first athletic league in the country and Asia deserves to be in the number one Network in the Philippines,” said Calvo.

This team-up with the country’s first athletic league is very much meaningful for us in GMA,” said the network’s chairman Felipe L. Gozon.

We are looking forward to showing everyone the world-class talent of our young Filipino student-athletes, and rest assured that we will only give what is best for them as GMA Network wholeheartedly welcomes the NCAA into our home,” he added.