NBTC reaching its ultimate
conclusion
by rick
olivares
The SM-National
Basketball Training Center Regional Championships presented by Freego are fast
closing in on its conclusion. At stake are slots to the national high school
finals and the title of the best juniors team in the land.
The league, an official
grassroots program of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, is now on its 10th
year and has grown from being held in three cities to a record 62 all across
the archipelago. It has gone from a mere basketball camp to a national high
school championship with close to 700 teams competing. And that isn’t counting
four foreign teams – one each from the United States, Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand – all featuring Filipinos of foreign lineage taking part.
Edster Sy of sponsor
Freego related his company’s patronage and support of the grassroots program.
“It started with our company’s president and owner, Edward Tio, who used
basketball as a means to gain a scholarship to Chiang Kai Shek College. And now
he is giving it back with his support of not only his alma mater but also of
Adamson and now the NBTC. It’s all about giving opportunities.”
Some of the teams that
have advanced to the national finals include the Mapua Red Robins as the NCAA
champion, the San Beda Red Cubs as the Metro Manila Basketball League champion,
the unnamed UAAP champion, and representatives from the different regions.
Some schools such as the
University of St. La Salle in Bacolod and Isabela College of Cauayan have
likewise qualified to the finals in Manila for the first time in their history.
“We believe that this
program is a very good one for talent identification not only for the national
team but also for high schools and colleges across the country,” added NBTC
founder Eric Altamirano. “Players like Roger Pogoy (who went on to fame with
FEU) and Baser Amer (San Beda), and even coaches like Aldin Ayo who was with
Sorsogon came up through the program.”
Added Altamirano, “The
program, the finals, are also used by coaches to recruit for their schools. So
this is a good program for all.”
The SM-NBTC National
Championships will be played this coming March 13-16 at the Mall of Asia Arena
in Pasay City.
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