A record-breaking 1,479 young athletes from all over Mindanao showed up at this year’s first Regional Selection Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska held February 11-12 at Xavier University.
After experiencing the various progressive basketball drills and scrimmages, Jezreel Aton, 13, of Bethel Baptist Christian Academy; Khen Caduyac, 13, and Stephen Jebson Garcia, 13, of Corpus Cristi; John Anthony Melgazo, 14, and Jerald Orestes, 13, of Bukidnon National Highschool; Geo Ramos, 13, of Xavier University and Maverick John Vieto, 13, of San Isidro College ruled the boys division while Louise Veronica Agad, 12, Ella Rae Amulato, 12, and Pauline Angelique Valle, 12, of Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive Highschool (MOGCHS); September Star Padla, 13, of Bukidnon State University; and Giordana Tagarda, 10, of City Central School are the girls who will represent Mindanao to the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp in Manila this May 12-14.
These 12 young ballers excelled in the skills stations and exhibition games, exemplifying the Jr. NBA core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect throughout the camp. The Jr. NBA committee headed by Jr. NBA Coach Craig Brown evaluated the regional finalists.
“These kids in Cagayan De Oro listen extremely well and play hard,” said Jr. NBA Coach Craig Brown. “If they continue to work on the fundamentals that we worked on here over the last two days and really stay committed to the S.T.A.R values which they exuded here this weekend, I think the sky is the limit for these young people.”
Some of the young athletes who participated in the two-day camp travelled all the way from Bukidnon, Butuan, Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga for the opportunity to be selected and advance to the next stages of the league’s global youth basketball participation program.
Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska Regional Selection Camp’s next stop will be Lucena (Feb. 25-26) followed by Cebu (March 11-12) and Manila (April 1-2). Boys and girls ages 10-14 can still register to the free youth basketball program at www.jrnba.asia/philippines, where the program terms and conditions can be found.
Fans can also follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphili ppines. For all things NBA, fans can visit www.nba.com, like the NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/philsnba a nd followwww.twitter.com/nba_philippine s on Twitter.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League. The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2016-17 season featured a record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App, which achieved record viewership and traffic during the 2015-16 season. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 1.3 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
About Alaska Milk
Alaska Milk recognizes the need of Filipino children for proper nutrition. According to the 2011 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), it was revealed that 3 out of 10 children aged 5-10 years were underweight while 8 out of 100 children of the same age were overweight, making malnutrition and obesity two of the most pressing nutritional problems in the Philippines today. Alaska Milk is committed to help provide proper nutrition through its leading brands, Alaska Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink. It contains 20+ essential nutrients that help children reach their full growth potential. Aside from proper nutrition, an active lifestyle is needed in order to shape and nurture healthier children. Because of this, Alaska Milk encourages children to “go out and play” through its NUTRITION. ACTION. CHAMPION. programs: Alaska Basketball and Football Power Camps and Cups, Alaska IronKids Triathlon, Alaska Family Run and Alaska Cycle Philippines. At the same time, Alaska Milk has a professional basketball team, the 14-time PBA champion, Alaska Aces, which continues to inspire the youth to become future champions who are guided by positive values. Finally, Alaska Milk partners with excellent local and international organizations who share the same objectives, vision, and values namely the Philippine Basketball Association, National Basketball Association, World Triathlon Corporation, Cycle Asia, Makati and Alabang Football Schools and Sunrise Events, Incorporated.