Officiating, fans on top of Marcial’s priorities

Willie Marcial. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Willie Marcial, who rose from the ranks to become the 10th commissioner of Asia’s first professional basketball league, yesterday said he will focus on bringing in more fans, improving officiating and unifying the PBA board.

For starters, he’s called on players to become more attentive to fans’ needs.

“I told them to approach and shake hands with the fans,” said Marcial. “I know that there are teams teaching their players the proper way to deal with the fans.”

And to show he’s serious about improving the quality of games, Marcial suspended several officials involved in Barangay Ginebra’s 100-96 win over San Miguel Beer over the weekend after the endgame free-throw confusion.

Low-key and known for his hands-on approach, Marcial told reporters at the weekly PSA Forum at Tapa King Wednesday that he’s working to improve the league’s standing with its audience.

“I’m not going to promise anything but do my very best to continue making the league successful,” he said.

A former league statistician and floor director for television coveror Vintage, Marcial said the league is open to holding games outside the country.

“It depends on the promoters really. We have offers from Dubai, Saudi Arabia and the US,” said Marcial.

Marcial said he has been getting lot of advice after getting the unanimous nod of the board, headed by Ricky Vargas, to replace Chito Narvasa, who quit his post following an uproar from some board members due to a controversial decision in the last PBA Draft.

Marcial was initially appointed as officer in charge before Vargas and the board decided that Marcial could help unify the board. He was given a three-year tenure.