NAASCU opens season with 6 new teams

The National Athletics Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) welcomes six new members when it kicks off its 24th season on 21 October at the Makati Coliseum.

“It’s exciting because the new members want to prove something,” said Cris Bautista, NAASCU basketball commissioner and head of operations, during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) media room.

Bautista identified the new members as ICI College, Gardner College, Philippine International College, Bestlink College, St. Bernadette of Lourdes College and Regis Marie College.

St. Clare, seeking an eighth straight basketball crown, leads the old guards that include Enderun Colleges, Our Lady of Fatima University, New Era University, University of Makati, Manuel L. Quezon University, Philippine Christian University and City University of Pasay.

This year’s theme is “Beyond Greatness. Together, We Move Forward.”

Bautista, who represented NAASCU chairman Dr. Jay Adalem in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus, said basketball competition will run until December.

Then early next year, action shifts to volleyball, table tennis, badminton, chess, taekwondo and cheerdance.

Bautista said basketball action is worth watching because the new members are no pushovers.

“They are no pushovers because they are champions in their respective leagues. I heard Gardner College even won a tournament in Indonesia,” said Bautista, adding that the 14 teams were divided into two groups for the elimination round leading to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.

“The returning teams were seeded based on their rankings last year, while the new entries were drawn by lot,” added Bautista, noting that games across the seniors, women’s, and juniors divisions will be played from Monday to Friday.