PIBAQ opens 22nd edition with a bang

At least 29 teams will participate in the 22nd edition of Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (PIBAQ), the premiere Filipino basketball league, with opening ceremonies held over the weekend at Al Gharafa Multipurpose Training Gym.
Ooredoo Cup 2017 22nd Men’s Basketball League will offer thousands of fans bigger excitement than previous editions as the teams slug it out in action all the way to the championship rounds.
Competing in this season are six teams in the Senior Open Division, seven teams in the Aspirants Division and 16 teams in the Rising Division divided into two groups for better pairing and equal chances of play.
Fans will focus on matches that will feature stars, veteran players in the Senior Open division, who have already left their mark in the league. Many of them are former players of popular commercial leagues back home, including the ones run by Philippine Basketball Association.
The Aspirants and the Rising Divisions, however, can’t be counted out too, with players drawing attention among fans in the previous editions.
Junalvn, Ooredoo, GAC Motors, Lucky Seven LS7, AA Tailoring-Vintage and Khalifa Boyz are the teams that will play in the Senior Open category.
The Aspirants Division will see competition between Inter-Tech Jireh, Season Restaurant, 3 Stars & a Sun, Monte Vista, Philippine Tailoring, Pampanga Village Bacolor and DW Ballers.
In the Group A of Rising Division are Stealers, Pinoy Warrior, Season Restaurant, Mangyan Tribe, Nissan, Pilipinas Express, One Zamboanga, and M-Builders. Group B consists of Zoom, Spartan, Doha Desert Reload, Elite Basketball, RAMS, Pinoy Slammers, Al Heen and Pampanga Dragon.
PIBAQ also honoured the teams donning the most attractive uniforms with GAC Motors taking the honours for the Senior Open, Season’s Restaurant for the Aspirants Division and One Zamboanga for the Rising Division.
Present on the occasion were Antonio Valdez Cruz, from the Protocol and Board Affair department of Ooredoo Headquarters One, United Filipino Organization in Qatar chairman Ressie Fos, Filipino Community Center owner-operator Becky Tiwan and 51 East- Maybelline/ L’Oreal brands area manager Joyce Dyan A Cruz.
The 22nd Men’s Basketball League 2017 has been brought by Qatar Basketball Federation in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar and United Filipino Organization in Qatar.
Ooredoo serves as the main sponsor while Philippine Airlines, Alicafe, Diana Jewellery, Filipino Community Center and Shutter Bugz Photography Club are co-sponsors.