At A Glance
- The local government unit of Quezon City has strengthened its grassroots program with the second season of the Mikey Belmonte Cup expanding into a city-wide basketball league which will fire off on Nov. 26.
The local government unit of Quezon City has strengthened its grassroots program with the second season of the Mikey Belmonte Cup expanding into a city-wide basketball league which will fire off on Nov. 26.
Initially staged within the city’s second district during its first iteration, the league has now opened up to its other congressional districts with a total of 114 barangays – consisting of 1,700 athletes – expected to participate in the tournament that will be staged around the city.
"Ang layunin po natin ay makapag-build ng character, discipline and respect sa ating grassroots athletes sa QC. Our mission is to establish a sustainable sports program for the youth,” said QC District 2 representative Mikey Belmonte who was joined by Titan Ultra assistant coach and MB Cup head commissioner Renzy Bajar.
“Hangad po namin sa MB Cup na magkaroon ng programang magtataguyod sa kabataan. Gusto nating magkaroon ng development ang mga batang atleta na nangangarap sa sports,” said Bajar.
Fellow commissioner MJ Dasig and head of technical committee coach Teng Torcuator were also in attendance.
With the initiative, Belmonte said the league will give young athletes in QC an avenue to showcase their talents and attract potential scholarships from schools in UAAP, NCAA and other leagues.
“The goal here in MB Cup ay hindi lang basta magpalaro. Ito po ay para sa possible scholarships ng mga bata. Sana makakita tayo dito ng mga ganoon players na pwedeng ma-develop para maging isang UAAP, NCAA or PBA star, at pwedeng maipagmalaki ng buong QC,” added Belmonte.
The 114 teams will be divided into 19 groups of six squads each for the elimination round before the three-stage playoff quarterfinals, semis and finals.