New Year Special: The hoops league that is here to stay for the Ilonggos

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

No matter what year, no matter what challenges, this league will remain one of the most respected in the history of Ilonggo basketball.

Three days left before another chapter unfolds in our respective life books, so let us grab this moment to reflect on how this organization kept its ground and embraced every ball thrown with gravitas and excellence.

Well, it’s just five letters.

JB ABL.

Entering the year 2023 with an ultimate goal of elevating the basketball scene in the City of Love, this league not only held games for the sake of entertainment.

The JB Amateur Basketball League held these to change lives, perspectives, understanding, and created an unforgettable bond among sportsmen of all statuses and upbringings.

Way back in 2019 when this certain Jayphet Balbacal gave me a beep in my social media and arranged a meeting in a hot afternoon at his restaurant, I was curious to see who’s this enthusiastic guy who all talked about hooping.

We met.

We shared some drinks.

We ate healthy, at first.

After a series of thorough discussions when he presented his vision, I quickly understood that all he wanted was to unite Ilonggo ballers, discover more hidden gems, and help others redirect their life through hoops.

Fast forward this year, it was a stunning kick-off for 2023 after the league showed the calendar of events until December.

The first question was: “Can we do this?”

Well, the man just smirked. With confidence.

For the first time in the history of JB ABL, they organized a developmental league that catered to kids aged 14-18 years old.

It was a new scenario for the committee, but as time went by, they adjusted quickly and capped off the conference with another success.

After receiving tons of positive feedback from the participating teams, all they wanted was for JB ABL to hold another one.

Little did they know, that another conference was coming up.

The Battle of the Seven Districts.

It was perhaps one of the biggest leagues organized during the past years, and maybe the most highly-anticipated in the whole year round of hoops calendar in Iloilo City.

Still bombarded with praises, commissioner Balbacal decided to extend JB ABL which paved the way for the opening of the School Wars II.

With the buzz it created during the School Wars Season I, more schools, alumni organizations, and institutions reached out to the committee to get their representations inked in the official participating team list.

It was heartwarming.

The success that JB ABL garnered the whole year, the impact that they had on other young ballers, and the inspiration they instilled in the older generation to keep hooping and show the way for the youngsters summed it all up.

Despite the limited resources as a private sports organization, JB ABL’s ability to hold and execute these high-quality games is something we must be proud of as Ilonggo sports enthusiasts.

As the School Wars II conference is still ongoing and the playoffs nearing, let us support this prestigious league and help it gain more recognition as one of the best-organized leagues in Western Visayas.

To the committee, staff, pool of referees, table officials, partnering organizations, and most importantly, to commissioner Balbacal, may you reach all of your goals and claim 2024 as another year of success.

And that is why, JB ABL is the league for the Ilonggos.

Keep the ball rolling, and what will follow are blessings.