How Chase Tower Runs Became Team Bisaya
Picture this: a tournament of dream teams from our country’s hotbeds of basketball stars. That would be a banger.
In this video game scenario, you have Pampanga’s finest—Calvin Abueva, Ato Agustin, and Arwind Santos, perhaps—going up against a Manila squad bannered by Tondo’s Paul Lee, Sta. Cruz’s Philip Cezar, and the Pandacan-raised Robert Jaworski.
Or, let’s say, a feisty Bicolano squad with Bogs Adornado, Yoyoy Villamin, and Beau Belga squaring off against Pangasinense royalty in Danny Ildefonso, Marc Pingris, and CJ Perez.
Sorry, is this Luzon-centric? My bad.
South of the nation’s capital, there is a thriving pipeline of hoops talent. This region has produced generations of hardcourt excellence, ranging from dead-eye shooters to high-flying dunkers to incomparable bigs.
So, why exactly do we keep sleeping on Bisaya basketball? Nindot na nga pangutana.
The Case for Bisaya Basketball
I asked a Cebu-based coach about this, and here’s what he had to say: “Kulang kami sa pagmamahal mula sa mainstream media. Most of the time, we’re labelled as dirty players.”
This coach, by the way, is Paul Joven. Originally from Butuan, Joven moved to his mother’s home region of Cebu when he was 16. Call him a dayo if you want, but if there’s anyone who knows the quality of hoops from this region, it’s the former University of San Carlos court general who has been coaching his alma mater’s team since 2022.
“I thought I was a good player back in Butuan,” Joven shared. “When I arrived here in Cebu, I said to myself, I’m way behind.”
But Joven’s connection to Cebu goes beyond his playing and coaching stints with USC. For the past two years, he has been at the helm of another Cebu-based team that has proudly waved the banner of Bisaya basketball greatness. In an annual tournament where regional pride is at stake, Joven has steered this team to glory on a consistent basis.
Three championships. Three letters. CTR.
This past June, the squad known as Chase Tower Runs pulled off a dramatic comeback victory in the finals of the DAYO23 Streetball Invitational. No less than Korean Basketball League star Carl Tamayo (who hails from Talisay, where the lechon is next-level) hit the game-winning midrange jumper to seal a three-peat for CTR in this tournament.
Built on Bisaya Pride
If Joven and CTR could get Tamayo, surely they could have their pick of any bright young star in the country, right? They could have, but they didn’t. As far as CTR’s roster construction was concerned, the marching orders were clear: This team would cast the spotlight firmly on players from the Visayas-Mindanao region.
“It’s about two words: Bisaya pride,” sports patron Chase Cokaliong told ALL-STAR Magazine. “I want to showcase to everyone that the best basketball players are from our area.”
Yes, this is the Chase Cokaliong who is as renowned for his extravagant giveaways as he is for his stewardship of one of the country’s biggest shipping empires. If you were one of the recipients of a Toyota Wigo, a PS5, a 1.2 carat diamond ring, or P1.5 million in cash that Cokaliong has dished out, good for you. Swerte kaayo ka.
Cokaliong can be a generous supporter, and when it comes to his love for basketball, he goes all out. Even in the tough circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business mogul found a way for local hoopers to do what they love. “When the restrictions eased up a bit, I offered our private basketball court [at Cokaliong Tower] to host runs at noon every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for a closed group,” Cokaliong said.
Thus, the Chase Tower Runs were born. Joven was one of the first attendees in 2021. “We’re a group of ex-varsity players and friends who’ve been having pickup games since the pandemic,” he told Cebu Daily News in 2024. Eventually, CTR cast a wider net for their invites, drawing players from the PBA, MPBL, UAAP, and CESAFI to its games.
2024, in fact, was a huge year for CTR, as they went from burgeoning basketball club to legitimate participant in invitational tournaments. When the Sinulog Cup was staged in January, CTR fielded players like ex-UV star Jerome Napao and former USJ-R standout Fletcher Galvez against teams representing Cebu Roosevelt Memorial College and the United Negros Basketball League.
CTR won just a single game in the Sinulog Cup. But it was a different story four months later.
Making a Statement Beyond Cebu
What is it about leaving one’s homecourt and visiting a foreign turf that brings out the absolute best in competitors? Is it pride, vendetta, or perhaps the chance to earn a quick buck and sip ice tubig from a plastic bag? For CTR, joining the DAYO23 Invitational—a tournament set to be staged in the sweltering environment of Paco, Manila—was a chance to make a resounding statement about basketball from the South.
This wasn’t a video game scenario. It was as real as it gets. For the past two years, CTR’s performance in the DAYO23 series has been a wake-up call to the rest of the country on behalf of Bisaya hoopers. Stop sleeping on us.
In 2024, Manila was conquered.
In 2025, it was an all-Bisaya final, with Davao falling by the wayside.
Just last month, though, CTR was in real danger of getting knocked off their perch. A team going by the menacing moniker Tikas Kapampangan—featuring Mabalacat’s Greg Cunanan, Porac’s Genmar Bragais, and San Fernando’s Raymart Cosal—wanted to reign supreme.
With both teams gunning for the winning score of 23 in the championship game, CTR fell behind 12-2 in the early goings. As the Kapampangan contingent closed in on a win, Joven looked for a spark to get his team back in the game. Then, something caught his eye.
“I asked God to give me wisdom,” recalled Joven. “I was thinking about who I was going to field from the bench. As I looked at the players on the sidelines, Rocacurva looked me eye-to-eye. As if to say, I’m the wisdom that you asked God for.”
Kenny Rogers Rocacurva, a 2025 PBA draft pick by the former Northport franchise, has a name that sounds like sweet music to some and roasted dishes to others. Sure enough, when the product of Camotes Islands entered the game, he got CTR’s offense humming with seven straight points, all off aggressive drives to the basket.
As Shaquille O’Neal would put it, Kenny Rogers turned his defenders into barbecue chicken. The rest, as Joven said, was history.
With the game tied at 18, Tamayo banked in a three from the left wing. On the next possession, the former UP Fighting Maroon launched a stepback baseline jumper and capped off a furious comeback against the Kapampangan squad.
More Than Three Championships
CTR’s performance in the 2026 DAYO23 series was more than a championship conquest. It was also a love letter to the Vis-Min greats who paved the way.
Like Francis Arnaiz and Bernie Fabiosa, those backcourt legends of the Crispa-Toyota wars.
Like Ernesto “Estoy” Estrada, who led the PBA in points scored during its inaugural season in 1975.
Like Manny Paner, who helped the Philippine national team win the championship at the 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation (a predecessor of the FIBA Asia Cup).
Like Arnie Tuadles, who once held the PBA’s single-game assists record when he dropped 23 dimes for Ginebra in 1985.
Like Dondon Hontiveros, RR Pogoy, and Calvin Oftana, who have shot the lights out on multiple tours of duty with Gilas.
Oh, and don’t forget the Kraken from Pinamungahan, Cebu and the President from Maasin, Leyte. Their inclusion in the Pinoy GOAT debate may be the biggest testament to Bisaya basketball.
So, if that tournament defying space and time were to ever play out in our minds, Pampanga and Bicol would still have their bruisers. Pangasinan would still roll out its giants. Tondo would still bring its legends. But, if a team from the Vis-Min region ever walked into that gym, don’t mistake them for underdogs.
With the dedication of coaches like Paul Joven and the patronage of powerful men like Chase Cokaliong, the pipeline of Bisaya talent will continue to prosper. Three straight DAYO23 championships suggest they’re doing something right.
If you don’t believe that, maybe it’s best to put on your jersey, lace up your sneakers, and head over to Cokaliong Tower for a run. Kon maisog ka.
“I believe everyone knows we are the best ball club in the country,” Cokaliong said of his team. “If anyone wants to deny that claim, I’m happy to prove it.”
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