THE PBA has not given up on the D-League, but any plans for the feeder league are heavily dependent on the return of college basketball.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial explained the developmental league is waiting for the COVID-19 situation to stabilize and for collegiate leagues like the UAAP and the NCAA to finally resume before a D-League restart can be considered.
The D-League plays a crucial role, both for the PBA and the college leagues, Marcial said.
"Malaking bagay [ang PBA D-League] sa trainings nila. Usually naman, nagsisimula tayo pagkatapos ng collegiate tournaments. So inaasahan din nila yung D-League pagkatapos ng mga seasons nila and siguradong may D-League tayo," Marcial said.
Traditionally, the PBA D-League opens its Aspirants' Cup around January, serving as a "preseason to the preseason" for varsity teams which seek to get an early workout during the second semester of the school year.
In the 2019 season, which was the last time the developmental league had a full calendar year, the PBA D-League saw a number of its participants rule their respective collegiate leagues.
Among them were Ateneo in the UAAP, Letran in the NCAA, St. Clare in the NAASCU, Diliman College in the UCBL, and Centro Escolar University in the NCRAA.
Interest from college-based teams
All but one of the 12 teams which joined the 2020 D-League Aspirants' Cup were school-based teams. Unfortunately, the tournament was halted by the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic back in March 2020.
While waiting for a chance to restart the D-League, the PBA has gone out of its way to help the UAAP and NCAA craft protocols which would ensure the safety of the student-athletes in its resumption of practices and eventually, return of play.
"Nag-meeting kami last year ng NCAA and last week naman, kausap namin ang UAAP. Nagmi-meeting kami kasama ng management committee ko para tumulong sa protocols nila at pinaguusapan kung ano ang dapat gawin," said Marcial.
Both the UAAP and the NCAA are looking at opening their respective seasons by March, although that remains a big question mark after Metro Manila was agaib placed under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 30 owing to a surge of Covid-19 cases.
The NCAA is looking to start its Season 97, hosted by St. Benilde, by March 5. On the other hand, the UAAP has pencilled a March 19 kickoff for its Season 84, hosted by La Salle.
Marcial reminded the collegiate leagues that as much as everyone wants to go back on the court, their situation is a lot more sensitive as they deal with student-athletes, some of which are minors.
"Sinabi ko rin ang pananaw ko lalo na't college players yan at iba ang isip natin sa mga pro. Pero ang maganda lang, may open communication kami," he said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
