PBA - Reaching out for new goals at 36

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) expects a highly competitive 36th season with an old but cutthroat format that would draw the best from each team and may spell another banner year for the country’s premier cage league.

Crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra and newcomer Meralco Bolts mix it up at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum to kick off the 2010-2011 hostilities.

A calendar that features more playoff games and less elimination-round contests, the PBA leadership believes, augurs well in their bid to top their whopping gross gate receipts of P75.3 million last campaign.

New PBA commissioner Chito Salud stressed the paramount idea is to make the games more exciting, lure more fans, and keep the league’s status as a topnotch marketing vehicle.

“We’ll pay tribute to the fans to whom the PBA owes its existence. The players will show their appreciation by playing their hearts out in each game. The board, meanwhile, will think of ways to make the games more attractive and pleasing,” said Salud during their season launch at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.

The well-attended occasion was also graced by league board chair Rene Pardo, vice chairman Mamerto Mondragon, treasurer JB Baylon and members Ely Capacio, Robert Non, Ramon Segismundo, Patrick Gregorio and Manny Mendoza.

They believe highly competitive tournaments are in the offing with Alaska Milk, San Miguel Beer and Talk n Text as the league forces to reckon with.

Pardo, Mondragon, Baylon, Non and Gregorio consider the Aces, the Beermen and the Tropang Texters as the teams with the edge over the rest on paper.

Segismundo is confident Meralco can make a worthy showing in its PBA debut while Mendoza is optimistic of Barako’s improvement.

“We intend to be in the semis of each conference,” said Mendoza .
Though four of their starters are nursing injuries, Pardo vowed the B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados will come out fighting in a bid to retain the Philippine Cup championship.

“We’ll start the season minus Kerby Raymundo, Marc Pingris, James Yap and Rafi Reavis. But there won’t be excuses. We’ll try to defend our title, fighting to our very last man,” said Pardo.

Derby Ace, the all-Filipino champ and fourth placer in the last reinforced conference, will have two new players in ex-SMBeerman Jonas Villanueva and ex-Barako Coffee Master Jerwin Gaco.

Twenty-three other veteran players will be playing for a new team in the season marking the league’s return to its old three-conference format.

There will be 14 rookies led by Air21’s celebrated recruits Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Rey Guevarra.

Air21, Rain or Shine, Powerade and Barako are the teams with several new acquisitions.

The Express reacquired JQ Quinahan and tapped in sophomores Joshua Urbiztondo and Marcy Arellano. The Elasto Painters got Larry Rodriguez, Doug Kramer, John Ferriols, Paolo Bugia, RJ Jazul and Joshua Vanlandingham, Barako tabbed Hans Paul Thiele, Marvin Cruz, Richard Yee and Sunday Salvacion while the Tigers enlisted Sean Anthony, Renren Ritualo, Jai Reyes, Rob Reyes and Eddie Laure.

A total of 17 road games will be played in the season with the league making a first-ever stop in Digos and revisiting Naga for the first time in years.

“The league may be an established ground but we’ll continue to make new ways,” said Salud