Mobil co-ed cage league eyes April 4 start

The 6th Annual Mobil Oil Marianas Co-ed Invitational Basketball League will roll-off beginning April 4 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The kickoff date was decided during an organizational meeting held yesterday at the Aqua Resort Club, wherein all nine participating teams—with the exception of Commonwealth Ports Authority—were represented.

Like in previous years, the competition among eight Mobil customers and host Mobil Oil Marianas would be played Tuesdays and Thursdays with the first game tipping off beginning at 6:30pm and the second game starting at 8pm, or 10 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.

Mobil cage league chairman Abner Venus said except for ground rules, which were put in place to accommodate lady players; FIBA rules would be followed throughout the course of the competition.

In a format unique in the Marianas, teams are required to field lady players—cage belles—in the first and third quarters. If a team does not have a lady player, they would then be forced to play four on five.

Venus said men are neither allowed to guard nor impede the path of cage belles and doing so would result in a foul being assessed to the offending player with the accompanying two free throws and ball possession awarded to the same team.

As agreed upon by all nine teams, cage belles don’t need to be employees of companies they are playing for, which is not the case for the men and save for exemptions made to a few teams, the spirit of the Mobil cage league “as an employees only” league would be revived.

“You must be an employee of the company [you are playing for] in order for you to play in the Mobil Oil Marianas Co-Ed Invitational Basketball League,” Venus reiterated.

He also said that for a change the league would be implementing a strict uniform policy this year. “All players must be in their proper uniforms, which is being provided by host Mobil Oil Marianas,” he said.

Venus said players not in complete uniform would not be allowed to suit up.

Aside from Venus, who represented Microl-Toyota, also present during yesterday’s organizational meeting were Mobil Oil Marianas official Lucas Salii, Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s George Poquiz, McDonald’s Gil Gapor, Saipan Ice & Water Co.’s Benjie Abadilla, Aqua Resort Club’s Manny Barcial, Mobil’s Marvin Deocares, Fiesta Resort & Spa’s Tom Alegre, and Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Chris Calub.

The Mobil co-ed basketball league was formed in 2001 to give the giant oil company a venue to fellowship with its client companies. Since its inaugural season, the cagefest has grown in popularity and has attracted a following made up mostly of employees and staff of teams participating in the league.

It has even survived the demise of league pioneer and 2003 champion Pacific Development Inc. and that year’s second runner-up Pacific Island Aviation.

Last year, Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach (Now Fiesta Resort and Spa) won the championship against host Mobil, 130-114. Empty-handed in its first three years in the league (it didn’t suit up in the league’s inaugural season), Dai-Ichi benefited with its merging with sister team Tan Holding Corp. and fielded a powerful lineup led by 2005 MVP Elmer Esdrelon and a Japanese import in the person of cage belle Noe Okahira.

The Mobil crown was previously worn by Tan Holdings (2001), Microl (2002), PDI (2003), and Aqua Resort Club (2004).

For more information on the 2006 Mobil Oil Marianas Invitational Co-ed Basketball League, contact Venus at 888-3228.