The Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup is a men's regional basketball league in the Philippines. The league comprises teams from the Visayas and Mindanao regions, similar to the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) from 2006 until 2008, with the aim of searching for local, homegrown talent from those regions. The most recent tournament the league held was the 2023 Fiesta Pilar Championship.
History Plans for a basketball league in the island groups of Visayas and Mindanao were first reported in October 2020, noting that the league will begin play once COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted. The VisMin Cup was first announced in January 2021 by chief operating officer Rocky Chan with Dondon Hontiveros as its ambassador. Hontiveros, who started his basketball career with the Cebu Gems of the Metropolitan Basketball Association, stated that they want to "bring back the days where basketball in [VisMin] was awesome, when people came in droves to watch the games and homegrown players were given a fair opportunity to play for their cities and provinces."
They aimed to start their first conference on April 9, 2021, with teams split into two "legs" or conferences for Visayas and Mindanao. In addition, games in each leg would take place in a neutral venue, with the initial plan being to host the Visayas leg in Cebu City and the Mindanao leg in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The Visayas leg was eventually moved to the municipality of Alcantara, Cebu due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first conference began as planned on April 9 with the Visayas leg. In just its first week of play, the league became the center of controversy when on April 14, a game between the Lapu-Lapu City Heroes and Siquijor Mystics raised suspicions due to missed free throws and easy shots and was called out for its "lack of respect" for the game. The league was at risk of losing title sponsor Chooks-to-Go, demanding the league to swiftly hand out sanctions. The controversy was resolved the following day after the league handed out numerous sanctions, including the expulsion of the entire Siquijor Mystics team due to allegations of game-fixing.
Format The inaugural conference featured a two-leg setup in which the Visayas and Mindanao-based teams are divided, playing against other teams from the same leg during the elimination round and playoffs. The winning teams from both legs then meet in what was dubbed as the "Southern Finals". The 2nd conference only featured Mindanao-based teams, causing it to have one leg, the "Mindanao Challenge". The following import-laden conference in 2022 saw the return of Visayas-based teams and legs were completely abolished. In 2023, the league transitioned to smaller tournaments for the Open Championship and Fiesta Pilar Championship, each featuring four or five teams based in Mindanao.
Roster regulations Each team's roster must have three players from the locality it is based in. In addition, there are requirements for players based in Luzon and VisMin area.
All-time teams Team Locality First conference Last conference ALZA - Alayon Zamboanga Zamboanga del Sur 2021 (1st) ARQ Builders – Lapu-Lapu City Heroes Lapu-Lapu, Cebu 2021 (1st) Basilan Jumbo Plastic Lamitan, Basilan 2021 (1st) 2021 (2nd) CDO Stampede Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental 2023 Open Clarin Sto. Niño Clarin, Misamis Occidental 2021 (1st) CPG–Bohol Pure Mineral Water Dolphins President Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol 2022 Import-laden Dumaguete Warriors Dumaguete, Negros Oriental 2021 (1st) Iligan Alpha Omega Kings Iligan, Lanao del Norte 2021 (1st) 2023 Fiesta Pilar Kapatagan Buffalos Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte 2021 (1st) 2021 (2nd) Kalos PH Lawaan Lawaan, Eastern Samar 2022 Import-laden KCS Computer Specialists – Mandaue Mandaue, Cebu 2021 (1st) MACFI Basilan Golden Lions Isabela, Basilan 2022 Import-laden McDavid ZamPen Zamboanga Peninsula 2022 Import-laden 2023 Fiesta Pilar MisOr Mustangs Misamis Oriental 2021 (1st) 2023 Fiesta Pilar MJAS Zenith – Talisay City Aquastars Talisay, Cebu 2021 (1st) OCCCI Ormoc Sheer Masters Ormoc, Leyte 2022 Import-laden Pagadian Explorers Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur 2021 (1st) 2021 (2nd) Roxas Vanguards Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte 2021 (1st) 2021 (2nd) Siquijor Mystics Siquijor, Siquijor 2021 (1st) Sultan Naga Dimaporo Barracudas Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte 2022 Import-laden Tabogon Voyagers Tabogon, Cebu2021 (1st) Tubigon–Bohol Mariners Tubigon, Bohol 2021 (1st) 2022 Import-laden Zamboanga Sibugay Knights Zamboanga Sibugay 2021 (2nd) 2023 Fiesta Pilar Zamboanga Valientes Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur 2021 (1st) 2023 Fiesta Pilar
Notes
List of champions Year Tournament Winning team Score Losing team 2021 1st Basilan Jumbo Plastic 3–0 (series) KCS Computer Specialist 2nd Zamboanga Sibugay Warriors 2–0 (series) Kapatagan Buffalo Braves 2022 Import-laden CPG-Bohol Dolphins 2–0 (series) OCCCI Ormoc Sheer Masters 2023 Open Zamboanga Valientes 108–93 McDavid ZamPen Fiesta Pilar MisOr Mustangs 85–80 Zamboanga Valientes
Youth tournaments Year Tournament Winning team Score Losing team 2022 25-under Zamboanga Valientes 87–86 Zamboanga Sibugay Warriors
External links Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup – official Facebook page
References