The Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup 2023 held its coaches meeting and media day for its season two tournament at the UP Diliman University Hotel on Tuesday morning.
The league recently concluded the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup 2023, which consists of Team B players, last March 6.
During the meeting, officials discussed the schedule, rules and regulations, competing teams, and their plans for Pinoyliga.
The 17-team field will be split into two divisions with Group Prime composed of Lyceum of the Philippines University, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Jose Rizal University, Mapua University, National University, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines Christian University, and Guang Ming College.
Meanwhile, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, College of Saint Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College, University of the East, Adamson University, Far Eastern University, University of the Philippines, and Next Man Cup champion San Beda University comprise Group Edge.
There will be different venues on the scheduled days. Every Tuesday, the games will be held at Enderun College, every Friday at Philippine Buddha Care Academy, and every Sunday at EAC.
The competition will tip-off at the EAC Gymnasium on Sunday with a four-game slate.
PCU takes on NU at 9:15 AM, followed by EAC vs Perpetual. Lyceum faces Guang Ming at 1:45 PM. Meanwhile, UP and Adamson clash at 3:45 PM.
The playoffs are expected to begin on June 20 with a play-in.
Expanding the League
League owner Benny Benitez is excited about the tournament’s future and has big plans for the competition. He also wants to include international teams to compete with collegiate leagues in the Philippines, namely NCAA, UAAP, NAASCU, and UCBL.
“We want to grow internationally. Probably within the Pinoyliga Cup tournament, maybe now, maybe next year, we’ll bring in talents from outside the country like Fil-Am Nation, Italians, and Australians,” said Benitez.
“But our vision is not just to bring them here for a pocket tournament – you compete with us, they compete with you. And then at the same time, let’s replicate this model in places they want to go – Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao,” he continued.
“That’s why I’m very excited.”
Creating a Women’s Division
This year, Pinoyliga took it to the next level. Unlike other leagues with restrictions, the tournament allows players serving residency to play, with a maximum of three imports playing one at a time, including the inclusion of junior and senior high school players.
Benitez is also planning to involve women’s basketball in the future because the league is slowly evolving with the power of social media and aims to be diverse and inclusive to others.
While Pinoyliga Commissioner Wilson Ang said they are opening the door for senior high schools to join because he wants young players to experience battling at a collegiate level of intensity.
“Yes, that’s right. Especially those who just graduated from senior high, so I think every team has their eye on those young players, why not give them a chance, right? Also, these teams can see if the players fit into their system. If we don’t give them an opportunity, how can these kids enhance their skills for the next level of competition?” said Ang.
