Saipan Tribune

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Friday, February 01, 2013

Shirley's caging returns, opens on March 18

The Shirley's Coffee Shop Basketball League is back this year and will open its fourth season on March 18 at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

After taking a break last year, Shirley's Coffee Shop, which is managed by Susan Macario, is encouraging various companies on Saipan to field their respective teams and battle for the 2013 championship. League organizers are looking to have at least 8 squads this season.

Each squad can only have a maximum of 14 players on its roster and 9 of them must be employees of the company they are representing. Participating teams can recruit five more other players, who must not be employed by another company that will also play in the 2013 season. Then at game time, teams must have at least one employee on the court. Violation of the special rule will result to technical fouls charged to the offending squad.

Matches will be played three times a week or every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with game time to be discussed as the league nears its opening.

Interested teams are mandated to submit jersey details to avoid uniform color duplication. A no jersey, no play rule will be implemented.

DFS Galleria won the last edition of the Shirley's caging, as it leaned on former CNMI National Team members to beat PSS/McGraw-Hill in the winner-take-all finale, 92-63.

Pete Iguel went on to claim the Finals MVP in the title match, teaming up with fellow former CNMI Team standouts Jack Lizama and Dar Barcinas. Lizama also brought home an award, making it to the Mythical Team with Fiesta' s Elmer Esdrelon, Mobil's Jun Estolas, Shirley's Kae Bernardo, and the now Guam-based Dave Sablan of PSS/McGraw-Hill. Sablan got his second individual plum after taking home the regular season MVP trophy, while Esdrelon was named scoring champion.

Other awardees in the third season of the Shirley's caging were Wushin Express' Ferdie Tobias (best in assists), GPPC's Randy Mungcal (steals), Shirley's J.R. Barrios (free throws) and Bernardo (rebounds), PIC' Ponce Rasa (blocks), and DFS' Gabriel White (best coach).

Meanwhile, for more information about the 4th Shirley's Coffee Shop Basketball League, contact Irish Pagarao at 285-8311 or via email at pagarao11@yahoo.com or Rey Lingcaso at 789-7943.