The Philippines’ best high school cagers gather for the inaugural Seaoil High School All-Star Game

The Philippines’ best high school cagers gather for the inaugural Seaoil High School All-Star Game

by rick olivares

Thursday, March 1, 2012.

National Sports Grill, Greenbelt 3

Makati City

After nearly six months of basketball. Three separate days of tryouts, the final 30 players from a pool of over 100 basketball players from all over the country, were chosen to participate in the inaugural Seaoil High School All-Star Game.

Patterned after the McDonald’s All-American Game, this historic event aims to showcase high school kids from all over the Philippines to big college programs.

While the bulk might seem to come from Manila, many of them still come from the provinces but were already snapped up by the top basketball schools.

Five of these top high school players – Xavier’s Jeron Teng, Chiang Kai Shek’s Kevin Baytan, La Salle Greenhills’ Thomas Torres, Mapua’s JJ Alejandro, and San Beda’s Giboy Babilonia (San Beda) – were present at the press conference for the Seaoil High School All-Star Game (that will be played this Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 11am at the Ynares Center in Pasig City).

“Malaking karangalan para sa akin at sa Mapua na kasama ako rito,” said Alejandro, the sweet-shooting swingman who is on his way to NU for college. “Alam ko na malaking tulong ‘to sa career ko.”

“I feel happy and proud to be chosen to be a part of this,” chipped in Torres who will be going to La Salle Taft for college. “I will get to play with the best high school players in the country and at the same time test my skills. It’s going to be a good and memorable experience.”

“Hopefully, many of these kids who have not been given athletic scholarships will be given on after this game,” added National Basketball Training Center Training Director Alex Compton. “And hopefully, this event will become really big in a few years’ time.”

In the American game’s equivalent, every US NCAA champion save for the 2002 Maryland Terrapins, had in its lineup at least one player in the McDonald’s game. Time will tell if this transfers to the Philippine version.

Seaoil High School All-Stars

Light Team coached by Brit Reroma

Francis Abarcar (San Beda)

John Boo (DLSZ)

Kim Cinco (UPIS)

JJ Alejandro (Mapua)

Daryl Nazareno (San Beda)

Ian Carlo Valdez (Mapua)

McJour Luib (Letran)

Ariel Basas Jr. (Mapua)

Kevin Baytan (Chiang Kai Shek)

Brian Ilarde (UST)

Ralph Tansingco (NU)

Tomas Ramos (Ateneo)

Julius Cadavis (Sacred Heart School-Cebu)

Paolo Jabines (Pilgrim Christian College-CDO)

Randolph Toriño (Southern City College-Zamboanga)

Seaoil High School All-Stars

Dark Team coached by Olsen Racela

Thomas Torres (LSGH)

Paul Nieles (Chiang Kai Shek)

Jeron Teng (Xavier)

Jason Ligad (St. Jude)

Kyle Suarez (Ateneo)

Gabriel Reyes (DLSZ)

Ralph Napa (NU)

Van Adam Abatayo (San Beda)

Richie Villaruz (LSGH)

Gideon Babilonia (San Beda)

Antonio Bonsubre (San Beda)

Edric Estacio (FEU)

Janmer Gabito (St. Joseph School-Bacolod)

Paul Razel Rubin (Sun Yat Sen School-Iloilo)

Dave Wilson Yu (Sacred Heart School-Cebu)

ENTRANCE TO THE GAME IS FOR FREE!!!

Additional reading:

The drive of Coco Jabines  Watch this kid from Cagayan de Oro compete in the All-Star Game.