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Budweiser caging resumes tonight
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Posted on Jan 29 2009
After a month-long lull, the 2008-2009 BANMI-Budweiser Basketball League will resume action tonight at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
The league opened the season last Dec. 18, but quickly took a break to give way to the holiday celebration.
The Ol’Aces and the Docomo Hoopaholics started the hostilities in the league with the former eking out an 81-76 victory. In the second game, IT&E won over the Runnin’ Rebels.
The league was supposed to reopen first week of this month, but the teams’ failure to submit requirements forced organizers to push back the resumption of the annual caging.
Tonight, three teams are scheduled to debut when the former Bud Cup returns to action.
Quichocho Law Office will battle the Diamond Auto Fixers in the first game at 6:30pm, while the CNMI Nationals will challenge the Ol’Aces in the second match at 8pm.
The CNMI Nationals, which is composed of the core of the CNMI Junior Nationals, are joining the Budweiser caging to prepare for the 2009 Oceania Basketball Tournament.
The CNMI will be hosting the Oceania caging in June and the Commonwealth’s bets will be playing against the powerhouse teams of Australia and New Zealand and five other squads from the FIBA Oceania Zone.
Calling the shots for the CNMI Nationals is veteran coach Rufino Aguon, who currently has 11 players in the pool.
The list includes Jayvan Tarkong, Marvin Rabauliman, Jomary Tumaquip, Joseph White, Allen Moses, James Camacho, Jericho Cruz, Keoni Chariton, Quincy Johnson, Pete Iguel, and Ringo Reyes.
After the Budweiser Basketball League, BANMI is planning to host a goodwill tournament that will feature some of the teams in the Budweiser caging, the CNMI Nationals, and Guam, also as part of the preparations for the Oceania caging.
Budweiser caging will have a double-round robin format in the regular season and single-round elimination in the playoffs. The championship will be a best-of-three affair.
Games will be played every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Rock Steady, which is composed of the core of the CNMI National team that played in the 2006 Micronesian Games, won last season’s championship. Members of Rock Steady are now playing for different teams.
