BENGUET’S 13 towns are in for a friendly competition with the first staging of the Congressman Eric Go Yap Congressional Cup which is expected to tip off on August 12 and will hopefully end during the province’s month-long foundation anniversary in November, coinciding with the celebration of the Adivay Festival.
Except for La Trinidad which will have two teams, the 12 municipalities will have 20 players in the roster with 15 allowed to play every game.
With a home-and-away format just like the NBA, the tournament will feature Benguet’s amateur basketball players who have either played in the collegiate or have represented the province.
According to organizers, players must be bona fide residents of the municipality for which they will play.
Former and current collegiate basketball players are also welcome to join.
As of this writing, La Trinidad, Bokod, Kibungan, and Buguias have yet to submit their line – up but organizers said they are in close contact with the coordinators of all the municipalities so all towns will be represented.
The home-and-away format will allow every town of the province to host a basketball game against their rival municipalities and showcase their tourism sites, and unique cuisines.
Aside from hosting a game in their home court, all the teams will be going around the province as they vie for the top purse, which will be given himself by Congressman Eric Go Yap.
Another feature of the tournament is the adaptation of the passerelle type of play wherein a team will be allowed to field five players and three substitutions in the first quarter and another five and two substitutions in the second quarter.
For the remainder of the third and fourth periods, teams will be given a free hand on how many players they can field as long as they stick to the 15–man rotation.
Aside from the hefty prize for the champion, Yap also assured all teams will be given their tournament uniforms, for free.
Yap’s chief of staff, Kevin See, said the basketball tournament aims to build camaraderie among the 13 municipalities.
