By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Dr. Richard Gabayoyo, the current president of the Players’ Center sports organization and the Sports Director of the West Visayas State University (WVSU), successfully brought Guimaras’ historic 1-on-1 basketball tournament last January 8, 2023.
28 brave Guimarasnon hoopers flocked to the Buena Vista gym in an attempt to be crowned as the province’s first Players’ Center 1-on-1 king.
The tournament also drew lots of interest from sports personalities after Dr. Gabayoyo came up with modified rules that the competition strictly followed.
According to the modified rules, a basic score in the low-post will only accumulate a point, an attempt to score using multiple dribbles in the perimeter area will have a deuce, and a shot from downtown will add three points.
Every game will be played for three minutes. The running time mark will start in the second minute while the last 30 seconds of the match will already be at stop clock.
Four straight fouls will be causing penalty time for the offensive player and the first to score 12 points will be declared as the winner.
After a series of elimination phases, Jay Renzo Hinojales was hailed as the tournament 1-on-1 king who is from Buenavista.
Paul Gabasa fell short of winning the title after falling to Hinojales in the championship stage and secured the first-runner up.
Dr. Gabayoyo and Players’ Center would like to thank SBP-Guimaras, Mayor Samuel T. Gumarin, former SB Member Paul Esmaya, and Rolan Fuentebella.
“I am very happy with the outcome of the event given the fact that the rules have been modified and we were able to determine and assess the acceptability of the rules. Furthermore, I am looking forward that this event becomes a regular event of the players’ center,” said Dr. Gabayoyo in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
