As the world marks a new month, the National Basketball Association unveiled its upcoming Jr. NBA Philippines program for 2019, its twelfth in the country.
The league held a "train-the-trainers" clinic for teachers and coaches to start off the program, which will branch out to youth clinics, coaching workshops, and training camps nationwide in the next few months. It is considered as the league's foray into the grassroots program by teaching fundamentals skills of the game, as well as inculcating core values. The NBA seeks to reach over 51 million youth across 75 countries for this season, through league play, in-school programming, clinics, skills challenges, and other outreach events.
Already confirmean for upcoming regional selection camps are the city of Lucena on March 9-10 and Baguio on March 23-24, while Metro Manila will host its own camp on April 27-28. There will also be a RSC in the Visayas, as well as in Mindanao, but the date and location for each is yet to be confirmed. Outstanding participants from each of the RSCs will be given the chance to participate in the National Training Camp scheduled to take place in Metro Manila on May 17-19, which will feature a NBA player and a WNBA legend as a guest.
The tweak in the program involves the Philippines' involvement in the Jr. NBA Global Championship, which was launched last year. Outstanding NTC participants will have the chance to compete against their counterparts from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam in the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia-Pacific Qualifiers this coming June, with ten outstanding boys and ten outstanding girls representing the region in the Jr. NBA Global Championship, which will take place this coming August 6-11 at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Reflecting on the change, NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson shares, "As we expand the Jr. NBA Philippines program, we are excited to introduce new opportunities for players and coaches to gain an enriching experience playing with and learning from peers of diverse cultural backgrounds." He adds, "Together with longtime partner Alaska, we are committed to growing the Jr. NBA Philippines into an inclusive program that fosters a safe and fun environment for boys and girls to compete, learn the fundamental skills and values of the game, and positively impact the next generation of Filipino athletes."
Aside from the players, the Jr. NBA Philippines program has a program tailored for the coaches, with its Jr. NBA Coach of the Year program. The NTC will host fourteen Jr. NBA coaches, with the men's and women's Coach of the Year joining the Jr. NBA All-Stars at the Asia-Pacific Qualifiers.
The NBA has tied up once again with Alaska for this partnership for the Jr. NBA Program, which the latter views as an opportunity to uphold its mission to provide proper nutrition and encourage a healthy and active lifestyle. Alaska Basketball Powercamp Director Jeff Cariaso says, "Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska continues to be a great platform to reach kids at a young age and inspire them to learn the fundamentals of the game in a fun and engaging way. We look forward to leveraging the excitement of the NBA to inspire basketball participation and utilizing the Jr. NBA Philippines program to promote the importance of active play and proper nutrition among the Filipino youth."
Aside from Alaska, the league has partnered with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona, and Vivo as its Official Partners, with ABS-CBN Sports' S+A, Basketball TV, and NBA Premium acting as the Official NBA Broadcasters.
For inquiries, one can check out www.jrnba.asia/philippines.
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