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Restaurants invited as ‘guest teams’
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Posted on Aug 28 2008
Organizers of the 3rd Annual HANMI Cup Inter-Hotel Basketball League are reaching out to teams of the restaurant league, inviting them to serve as guest squads for its 2008-2009 season.
In a telephone interview yesterday, HANMI Cup coordinator Lito “William” Espino said the three-year league is welcome to the idea of having one, two, or three teams from the Inter-Restaurant Basketball League see action in the competition.
“Any number of teams from the restaurant league is welcome but they will only be playing as guest teams. This makes sense because the HANMI Cup can have as much as eight teams for the 2008-2009 season and the more the merrier,” he said.
Ronnie Lopez of 2006 restaurant league runner-up Abyss Bar and Grill attended the HANMI Cup organizational meeting last Tuesday and Espino said other restaurants and fastfood outlets are invited in future organizational meetings of the group.
Earlier Espino said the HANMI Cup is eyeing a late October start for the caging competition.
So far, a total of seven teams have signified their interest in joining the competition led by defending champion Fiesta Resort and Spa-Saipan Grand Hotel, last year’s runner-up PIC, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Saipan World Resort, Hafadai Beach Hotel, Aquarius Beach Tower Hotel, and returning Palms Resort Saipan, the former Hotel Nikko Saipan. Inaugural champion Aqua Resort Club decided not to enter a team this year.
Like the previous two editions of the HANMI Cup Inter-Hotel Basketball League, the 2008-2009 season will be organized by the Northern Marianas Bartenders Association, where Espino is president.
For more information about the 3rd Annual HANMI Cup Inter-Hotel Basketball League, call Espino at 323-1135.
The combined Fiesta Resort and Spa and Saipan Grand Hotel team took home the 2007-2008 HANMI Cup championship
Led by the high-scoring duo of Ryan Sanciangco and Elmer Esdrelon, the Asia Pacific Hotels, Inc. quintet defeated PIC in the winner-take-all finals last April, 87-72.
The game saw Fiesta-Grand draw 57 points from Sanciango and Esdrelon, while PIC was led by the 18 markers of Derrick Tudela.
