SULU – A recent basketball exhibition game here between professional players from the Philippine Basketball Association and budding dribblers from Zamboanga City was so successful that local youths are now practising the popular sports more often that before.
The game, held at the gymnasium of the Notre Dame of Jolo College, was a project of Sulu Governor Totoh Tan as part of the celebration of the Eid al-Adha.
Governor Tan also spoke before and after the game and was applauded many times by spectators. He also thanked all those who flocked to the gymnasium and officials who supported the exhibition game.
The exhibition game between PBA-Sulu team and Zamboanga All-Stars, drew a huge basketball fans, including local officials, who were so ecstatic with the first-ever sports event by professionals players that came all the way from Manila to bring cheers to everyone who watched the game.
The game ended in a tie at 92.
“Maganda talaga yun laro at narito sa amin ang PBA players at magagaling talaga sila at (ka)sing galing ng mga players namin dito sa Jolo, at yun Zamboanga team ay magaling rin. Salamat talaga kay Governor Totoh at nagkaroon kami ng ganito at masaya talaga kaming lahat. Sana maulit (muli) ito. Thank you Governor Totoh,” one spectator, Jerome Abubakar, said.
Among the PBA players who were here included Bong Alvarez, Larry Rodriguez, Joseph Ronald Quinanan, Mark Yee, and Nurjamjam Alfad, the first-Tausug player in the basketball association. They also posed with fans and officials. Maimbung Mayor Samier Tan also joined Governor Tan, himself a sportsman, in hosting a dinner for the visiting basketball stars, who praised the warm hospitality of the Tausugs and the pristine beauty of Sulu, and the strong interest of the locals in basketball. (Franzie Sali)
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