Make way for a modern day King of the Hard Court Tournament.
A new tournament is taking a page from the old format which became popular in the local basketball scene back from the time of great players like Philip Cezar and Ramon Fernandez.
This new One-On-One tournament will be given back to life by Justin Tan, founder of the Isolation Basketball Championship, which is set to unravel this new league as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Tan, also the team owner and head coach of the Mindoro Tamaraws in the MPBL, is upbeat that at the height of skills training and player development, this One-On-One tournament will be a good platform for players who want to hone their skills and take their game to the next level.
But Tan is giving a new twist to this tournament, making more emphasis on weight class and doesn’t pay much attention on the height factor.
“Madalas kasing sabihin kapag One-On-One, malaking factor ‘yung height,” said Tan, also a multi-titled coach of La Salle Greenhills boys basketball team. “Pero what people forget is weight is as equally important kasi kung ang kalaban mo matangkad nga pero kulang sa weight, babangganin lang siya ng madali ng kalaban niya.”
In the IBC One-On-One Tournament, players will be divided into five weight division classes. There will be one champion per division. Every basket can be considered as one point or two points (if basket is made from the three-point line).
There will be three rounds in the non-title fight on a race to 30 format. The championship round will be five rounds in a race to 50.
Open to all players 18 years old and above, the tournament will have players being weighed in before the match. During the game, once a player leads by 10 points, the match a knockout. If a player leads by 30 to 50 points within three of five rounds, the win is considered a technical knockout
Tan is giving a new dimension on the training habits of players and this platform could help them elevate their game to a new level.
Tan said he is also planning to invite foreign players from the United States, Europe and Asia as prize money will be at stake in the competition.
“We believe in will, skill and passion for the game, giving opportunity to players and changing the way they train,” added Tan. “Regardless of position, this game will also allow us to use not just the height advantage, but also the weight advantage.”