Kadayawan basketball tilt starts Aug 18

August 17, 2022

The four-day Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament will start on Thursday.

This year’s tournament will be participated in by two collegiate teams of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)— the Adamson University Soaring Falcons and Far Eastern University Tamaraws —and four professional basketball teams from Mindanao— the Davao Occidental Tigers, GenSan Bulalakaw, Zamboanga Valientes, and Team Davao.

The technical head of the tournament, Atty. Francis Calatrava, during a press conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday, said that since launching back in 2012, the tournament has become one of the most awaited events of the Kadayawan festival.

Miggy Solitaria, director of the tournament, said it was Mayor Sebastian Duterte who requested for the holding of the tournament this year.

He said this year’s tournament is mainly funded by sponsors from the private sector with logistics assistance from the city government.

“The purpose basically is to maghatag og kalingawan sa mga Dabawenyos after the pandemic. Gusto ra gyud siya na malingaw ang mga tao sa Davao. So isa ni sa mga events na pwede makahatag og kalingawan sa atoa kay daghan pud gyud og basketball-crazy fans na taga-Davao (The purpose basically is to provide entertainment to the Dabawenyos after the pandemic. He (Mayor Duterte) just wants the citizens to have fun. This is one of the events that can entertain the people because we really do have a lot of basketball-crazy fans in Davao City),” Solitaria said.

The tournament is open for all, but Solitaria said only the fully vaccinated— those who received two doses of COVID vaccine —will be admitted in the venue. Spectators will have to show their vaccination cards upon entry.

Solitaria added that the tournament will have a new format. The six teams will be divided into two brackets. The teams in both brackets will play a single round robin, and then play one game against the other bracket. The winning teams from both brackets will vie for the championship on August 21.

The overall champion will win P100,000. The second placer will receive P50,000, while the teams that will finish at third, fourth and fifth place will pocket P30,000, P20,000, and P10,000, respectively.

The tournament’s MVP will receive P5,000. Another P5,000 will be given to the winner of the slam-dunk competition.

The Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament will be held at the RMC Petro Gazz Arena on August 18 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and at the USEP Gym on August 19-21 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. CIO