The quest to discover the next Filipino baller continues with fourteenth edition of the National Basketball Training Center.
And with the diaspora making themselves more relevant in the grassroots scene, the SMART-NBTC National Finals presented by SM Supermalls will provide an opportunity for these players to be recognized.
Ten slots have been allocated for overseas-based teams, with teams from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East set to participate.
NBTC program director Eric Altamirano shares, "This is part of our continuing commitment to Philippine basketball, as we not only uplift the grassroots level through our Local City Qualifiers, but also try to track down more young players who have Filipino blood that have tremendous potential to help our national team in the future."
To comprise each overseas team in the field, talent identification camps are already being established in order to get the squads ready for the National Finals scheduled this coming March at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Among the notable players that have come from these overseas teams are current Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, who was part of FilAm Sports-USA's squad before plying his trade with the G League Ignite. Another product of FilAm Sports-USA is Kai Ballungay, who helped Ateneo win a UAAP championship last year. His current teammate with the Blue Eagles, Mason Amos, was part of Camp David-New Zealand before matriculating at Loyola Heights.
The NBTC has also shared a little bit of light on the remaining two available berths, which is to be determined through a pre-qualifying tournament.
Scheduled for March 14-16, said tournament will involve aspiring international clubs, as well as outstanding LCQ teams that fell short in their respective Regional Championships. Half of the National Finals field is coming from the RCs, as the semifinalists from the four locations: North and South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, each earn a spot.
The RCs are expected to be streamed through the NBTC's Facebook page, thanks to the assistance of program partners like Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc, Batangas City Mayor Beverley Rose A. Dimacuha-Mariño and the University of Batangas, and the Cebu Landmasters.
The National Finals will also be streamed there as well, while also being broadcast on both the SMART Livestream app and the Facebook page of SMART Sports.
The field will be completed by the finalists of the UAAP and NCAA HS basketball competitions.
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