3rd SLAM Rising Stars Classic set on March 20

#SLAMRisingStars

The best high school ballers in Metro Manila are set to impress the basketball public, as SLAM Philippines will be having its third SLAM Rising Stars this March 20, 2016 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City.

Those who can't come to the venue can watch it LIVE on ABS-CBN Sports + Action, with coverage starting at 6:30pm. It'll also be shown LIVE as well on its Sports + Action HD, as well as on sports.abs-cbn.com.

Those who missed it live can also catch a replay telecast on Good Friday, March 25, at 10pm.

According to SLAM Philippines Executive Editor Nikko Ramos, "The SLAM Rising Stars Classic is the graduation ceremony of Philippine high school basketball's honors class. It is a collection of the most talented, most promising young names in hoops, names that we are certain will become more and more familiar to more and more people as years go by." He adds, "In the past, these athletes would have been told to "wait their turn." We refuse to make them wait, or wait ourselves. It is a platform that not only propels young talent, but also grabs hold of the narrative as if to say "Get on the bandwagon now. You'll run out of seats if you wait." This is SLAM's way of investing in the future of Philippine basketball. It is a stock that is already rising to record heights - today, not tomorrow."

The 3rd SLAM Rising Stars Classic participants

Leading the cast of participants in the 3rd SLAM Rising Stars Classic are the MVPs of both the NCAA and UAAP high school basketball tournaments in Aljun Melecio (UAAP via La Salle-Zobel) and Michael Enriquez (NCAA via Mapua), as well as the Finals MVPs in Justine Baltazar (UAAP via Nazareth-NU) and Evan Nelle (NCAA via San Beda).

Melecio also happens to be one of five returnees from last year's edition of the SLAM Rising Stars Classic, alongside Ricci Rivero (La Salle-Greenhills), Jolo Mendoza (Ateneo), Carlo Abadeza (Arellano), and Tyler Tio (Xavier School). That year saw Team Punks, led by then-La Salle-Greenhills big man JBoy Gob and then-Chiang Kai Shek College guard JV Gallego, defeat Team Hype, 103-95. Gob had 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Gallego finished with 18 points.

Joining Gob and Gallego as noted SLAM Rising Stars alums are La Salle's Prince Rivero and Andrei Caracut, Ateneo's Arvin Tolentino and Matt Nieto, NU's Rev Diputado, San Beda's Javee Mocon, Adamson's JD Tungcab, and UP's Diego Dario.

This year's edition of Team Punks vs Team Hype will have La Salle-Zobel assistant Gian Nazario (Punks) and Ateneo head coach Joe Silva (Hype) as head coaches, with Tony dela Cruz and Chris Banchero of the Alaska Aces as Nazario's assistants and Marc Pingris of STAR and Troy Rosario of Tropang TNT as Silva's assistants.

The SLAM Rising Stars Classic is powered by Gatorade and supported by Adidas (official outfitter), SMART Sports, Titan, Resorts World Manila, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Make sure to check out SLAM Philippines through its online and social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)