The National Collegiate Athletic Association hopes to pick up from where it left off last year as it ushers its 101st season on Wednesday, October 1, beginning with the centerpiece event of basketball at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Teams that played in last year’s Final Four will have a rematch right away on opening day as defending men’s champion and host school Mapua battles Lyceum, and College of St. Benilde clashes with San Beda University.
The Cardinals-Pirates tussle is set at 2:30 p.m. followed by the Blazers-Red Lions match at 5 p.m.
An elaborate opening ceremony starting at 12 p.m. precedes the double-header, with performances to be provided by songstress Thea Astley, Hannah Precillas, Naya Ambi and Aicelle Santos.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick ‘Pato’ Gregorio will serve as guest speaker when the country’s grand old collegiate league ushers its next 100 years.
‘Madaling tandaan. Season 101. And we’ll open on October 1. 10-1. So things like that. And with this year’s theme ‘Building Greatness,’ I’m sure for the past 100 years of NCAA, you’ve seen student-athletes rose to the elite level. So in the next 100 years in coordination with the PSC and member schools, we hope to sustain our contribution to the national training pool,’ said Jose Rizal University athletic director Paul Supan in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Emilio Aguinaldo College Vice President for Administration Dr. Lorenzo Lorenzo appeared with Supan in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.
In line with the NCAA’s goal of providing the national training pool with potential members, Lorenzo said the collegiate league is introducing the Olympic sports of gymnastics, weightlifting, boxing, and golf in this year’s calendar of events.
All four sports will initially be demonstration in nature to be played in the second semester.
‘The NCAA and PSC ay nagkaroon ng partnership in terms of training and developing these grassroots athletes,’ said Lorenzo.
Supan said under NCAA rules a demo sport that has been played for three straight years can be elevated to regular status subject to certain conditions.
Weightlifting and gymnastics provided the three gold medals won by the country in the Olympics, including the breakthrough gold provided by lifter Hidilyn Diaz in the women’s 55 kg category. Incidentally, the 34-year-old Diaz is an alumnus of NCAA member school College of St. Benilde.
New format will also be adopted in the event of basketball, whose games will be played in the NCAAs original home at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
‘This is our home and most of us will acknowledge, dito talaga nagsimula ang NCAA,’ said Supan, noting the juniors basketball that kicks off on Thursday, October 2, will already be played at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium between Mapua-Lyceum and St. Benilde-San Beda.
‘The direction really is to eventually ensure that all of the games in the eliminations and semis, basically, were going back to our home base,’ added Lorenzo.
Other sports to be played at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila include taekwondo, swimming, lawn tennis, and hopefully, football, while track and field will be staged at PhilSports in Pasig.