Chilean Professional Basketball Report: Update for Aug 24

Chilean Professional Basketball Report: Update for Aug 24

By Rod “Alley’Gator” Hunrichse, 20120824

Professional basketball pre-season is underway, uncertainty is getting clearer. DIMAYOR and Liga Nacional are being formed, yes, two parallel leagues. Live televised games help to improve the exposure and funding.

DIMAYOR 2011-2012 season, the mature but returning Professional League, finished in April 2012, in the midst of a restructuration. The parallel Liga Nacional tournament also finished a long 5 months season. Most players competed on different leagues.

Español Talca recently decided to move from DIMAYOR to Liga Nacional. Español was dissolved after the DIMAYOR postseason, most players reinforced nearby Maxibásquetbol Chillán.

Read related posts on the current situation of LIBCENTRO and LIBSUR.

But the regular person is interested in the REAL Professional leagues, the one on for their city, with spectacular foreign players, and classic rivalries.

DIMAYOR

Reportedly the starting date is September 22, with one mandatory foreign player, three under-23 on the line-up, and an optional second foreign player.

Teams so far are:

Founders UDECONCE, Universidad Católica; regular Liceo Mixto; returning Unión Española, San Luis Quillota; newcomers are Instituto DuocUC Santiago, Municipal Quilicura, and just formed Hidroeléctrica Tinguiririca San Fernando.

2012 should be a short season until December 2012, since the plans are to start next 2013 season in March.

Liga Nacional

LNB is organized again by the new LNDB (Liga Nacional Deportiva de Básquetbol), receiving resources from ADO Chile (The Federation is involved as well). The League will provide travelling expenses, salaries for referees and foreign players. The poor man’s dream.

The best eight Adult LIBSUR teams and also the best eight LIBCENTRO teams are qualified to Liga Nacional Básquetbol in the second semester.

There should be a Copa Chile-style tournament, where any applying team can participate, including amateur teams. Bad for the quality of the games.

Preseason

Encestando una sonrisa 2012, charity tournament to raise funds for children with chronic kidney insufficiency, was organized from August 10 to 15. In 2011 was hosted in Antofagasta, and this year the Champion UDECONCE took it to Concepción-City.

Two games a day, six teams, four foreign, under-24 but with two adult players and one extra addition: a foreign or adult player.

The foreign teams brought younger players so have increased difficulty in their formation. the Chileans were short, but nearer to the age limit, South American teams included very high players, but needed some more muscles. Randolph-Macon College, on a ten days tour to Chile, brought a mixture of Starters and sophomores.

In the end, UDECONCE resulted undefeated and is bi-champion, showed too much advantage on every game until the final. The attendance was less than expected, but still was considerable for a 5 days in-a-row tournament.

Final standings:

1° UDECONCE, Chile

2° Uniceub-BRB, Brazil

3° Minas Tenis Clube, Brazil

4° U. Católica, Chile

5° Randolph-Macon College, USA

6° Boca Juniors, Argentina

UDECONCE is considering hosting again 2013 in Concepción, for a chance to get a Tri-Championship.

Check out live narrations on http://ustream.tv/channel/chilebasketball

Other quadrangulars are to be played on the off-season, including in Quilicura, at Osorno for the re-inauguration of the María Gallardo Gym, etc. U. Católica has been playing pre-season as well in the Central zone.

TV:

A wonderful initiative from Liga Nacional is to broadcast Live games on CDO TV Premium and High Definition. DIMAYOR promises to bring back CDF network broadcasts.

Support your local team!