Youth players from the Regional Selection Camp in Metro Manila shined the brightest among 72 boys and girls in the National Training Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska held at the Don Bosco Technical Institute May 12-13 and at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on May 14, attended by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton, former WNBA All-Star Sue Wicks and NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo.
Photo from OrlandoMagic/Twitter
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Wednesday that Elfrid Payton of the Orlando Magic and former WNBA player Sue Wicks will travel to Manila to participate in the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 National Training Camp and help coach players from around the country vying to be named 2017 Jr. NBA All-Stars. The National Training Camp will be held at the Don Bosco Technical Institute May 12-13 and at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on May 14.
Over 600 boys and girls from South Luzon came out to showcase their basketball skills as Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska staged its second Regional Selection Camp February 25-26 at Manuel S. Enverga University in Lucena City.
After two days of intense training and scrimmages, eight boys – Jeryk Dwight Bait, 14, of Batangas Eastern College; Marc Harold de Guzman, 13, of St. Francis National High School; Nygel Gonzales, 13, of De La Salle Lipa; Raphael Hutamares, 13, of Maryhill College; Carlos Noel Panganiban, 14 and Troy Gerard Umayao, 13, of International School for Better Beginnings, Lucena; Wrench Mason Roquid, 13, of University of Perpetual Help System-Laguna, and Raphael Tolentino, 12, of Metro Lucena Integrated Learning School – topped the boys division.
Five girls – Fatima Irish Alpay, 13, of Luis Palad National High School; Kristin Aira Carmona, 12, of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation; Gracey Aine de Mesa, 13, of Lucena City National High School; Jezza Oabel, 13, of University of Perpetual Help System-Laguna, and Nicole Rosaldo, 12, of Tayabas West Central School – were selected to progress to the next stage of the Jr. NBA program.
The 13 young athletes produced strong performances during the skills stations and scrimmages as well as embodied the Jr. NBA core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect throughout the camp.
The young players will represent South Luzon in the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp where they will go up against top players from other Regional Selection Camps on May 11-14, 2017.
The best players in the NTC – eight boys and eight girls – will be named the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 All-Stars who will participate in an overseas NBA experience later this year.
Boys and girls aged 10-14 who want to join the free youth basketball program can still participate in the two remaining Regional Selection Camps in Cebu on March 11-12 and Manila on April 1-2. Interested participants can register at http://www.jrnba.asia/philippines, where the program terms and conditions can be found.
For more information, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines.
For all things NBA, fans can visit http://www.nba.com, like the NBA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/philsnba and follow http://www.twitter.com/nba_philippine s on Twitter.
To learn more about Alaska Milk Corporation, visit http://www.alaskamilk.com and w ww.playph.com.
Press release
Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska returns this year to the Philippines from Jan. 20-May 14 as part of the league’s effort to encourage youth basketball participation.
Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches participants the fundamental skills and core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. In addition, Jr. NBA Philippines will introduce a court refurbishment initiative that will revitalize a community court through the NBA Cares platform.
The Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska is free and open to boys and girls ages 10-14 and is comprised of four stages: skills clinics in schools and communities, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and an NBA experience trip.
The skills clinics will be held nationwide from January through April with stops in Bacolod, Batangas, Cagayan De Oro, Cavite, Cebu, Metro Manila and Subic. The Regional Selection Camps will be held in Cagayan De Oro (Feb. 11-12), Lucena (Feb. 25-26), Cebu (March 11-12) and Metro Manila (April 1-2), with the top 37 boys and 37 girls advancing to the National Training Camp in Manila on May 12-14, which will feature an NBA and WNBA player or legend. The program will culminate with the selection of 16 Jr. NBA All-Stars, comprised of eight boys and eight girls, who will embark on an overseas NBA experience trip with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia.
Below is a look at the Jr. NBA in the Philippines By The Numbers:
The 2017 edition of Jr. NBA Philippines will begin the search for the Jr. NBA Coach of the Year Jan. 20 in Manila, led by Jr. NBA Head Coaches Craig Brown and Chris Sumner with Alaska Power Camp Coach Jeff Cariaso. Fourteen Jr. NBA coaches will be selected as finalists and trained at the National Training Camp, with two Jr. NBA Coaches of the Year awarded with an NBA experience trip.
“Jr. NBA has provided world-class basketball instruction to communities across the country and produced a roster of athletes competing both on the local and international stage,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson. “We are grateful for our partnership with Alaska, which supports our mission of instilling the core values of our game and promoting an active lifestyle among youth in the Philippines.”
“We are proud that Jr. NBA Philippines has established itself as one of the country’s premier youth basketball programs and shaped well-rounded athletes including Aljon Mariano, Kiefer Ravena, Kobe Paras, Kyla Flores and Rozie Amatong who inspire Filipino youth to fulfill their potential,” said Alaska Milk Corporation Marketing Director Blen Fernando. “As partners of the NBA, Alaska Milk is committed to serving more Filipino children and families with affordable nutrition and providing first-rate training to guide their pursuit of becoming champions in life.”
Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska continues to promote proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, serving as an effective platform in implementing Alaska Milk’s NUTRITION.ACTION.CHAMPION. program that helps address the issue of overweight and undernourished children in the Philippines.
CloudFone, Gatorade, Globe Telecom and Panasonic serve as Official Partners of the Jr. NBA in the Philippines, while Spalding is a Supporting Partner. ABS-CBN Sports + Action, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the Official NBA Broadcasters of the Jr. NBA in the Philippines.
The Jr. NBA program is free and open to boys and girls ages 10-14. Coaches and participants can now register online at http://www.jrnba.asia/philippines, where the program terms and conditions can be found.
Fans can also follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines. For all things NBA, visit http://www.nba.com and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nba_philippines).
To learn more about the Alaska Milk Corporation, visit http://www.alaskamilk.com and http://www.playph.com.
