Champions League in the works

A national champion among regional ball clubs?

It has become a possibility, with the top teams of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and the National Basketball League (NBL) committing to send their top clubs to compete in a Champions League-type tournament for a national crown.

The three leagues are all heavily bankrolled by Chooks-to-Go, whose owner, Ronald Mascariñas, said in a press conference on Saturday that he was pursuing the idea of crowning a national champion among the top regional squads.

“Once quarantine restrictions are eased, we will launch the Champions League where the top teams from each of the three leagues will compete to be the national champion,” Mascariñas said.

And this early, the idea has gotten everyone excited.

“I was happy when I heard about it … through [the Champions League], we will see how competitive our teams are in our respective leagues,” said NBL chief Rhose Montreal, who also spearheads the Women’s National Basketball League.

“We’re excited about the Champions League and this is something new that the fans of Philippine basketball will look forward,” said MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes.