Letran, LSGH, Mapua, Ateneo, Xavier make NGBL debuts

The remaining teams participating in the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL) will be making their debuts this weekend.

For Saturday, action will take place at the MGC Gym in Taguig, with Mapua set to tangle against La Salle-Greenhills at 9am.

It will be followed by Letran against Lyceum at 11am, which will serve as Willie Miller's coaching debut for the defending NCAA champions. The PBA/MBA legend replaced Allen Ricardo, who has been elevated from coaching the Squires to handling the Knights for the upcoming centennial season of the Grand Old League.

The last team in Group B to make its debut will be MGC New Life Christian Academy, as the Fil-Chinese school will tangle against Arellano at 1pm.

The Braves are seeking to bounce back from their narrow 70-72 defeat against San Beda last week. Johnray Ladica contributed eighteen points, seven rebounds, and a couple of steals in the loss. John Axel Mendoza and John Denver Baluyot each added twelve markers.

On Sunday, action will return to the Tanduay Gym, as Jesuit-educated institutions Ateneo and Xavier match up to complete the debuting teams in the fourteen-team league by serving as the final game in its  scheduled tripleheader at 1pm.

Opening things up is Jose Rizal University against NU-Nazareth School at 9am. Both teams seeking to improve after getting nipped respectively by the University of the East and the University of Perpetual Help System with identical 74-75 scores.

Nino Ferrer took charge for the Light Bombers with twenty points and six assists against the Junior Warriors, while incumbent UAAP HS MVP Collins Akowe padded the stat sheet for the Bullpups with sixteen points, ten rebounds, an assist, a couple of steals, and three blocks.

At 11am, San Beda seeks their second win against Far Eastern University. MJ Vailoces led the charge for the Red Cubs with fourteen points and seven rebounds, as well as three steals. Francis Dollente and Laurence Batongbakal both chipped in thirteen markers.

As for the Baby Tamaraws, they hope to have a better result after being housed by the University of Santo Tomas, 57-76. Khean Esperanza was the lone bright spot in their defeat with eighteen points.

All matches are slated to be shown on the online platforms of the league.

NGBL set for tip-off

A new element in the basketball scene is set to emerge starting Sunday morning, with the start of the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL).

In establishing the NGBL, league commissioner Ronnie Magsanoc shares, "I believe that the NGBL has formulated a competition wherein the top-notch schools are going to be able to compete against one another."

He adds, "Our focus for now is to provide the best possible avenue for high school teams to compete in. Alongside this are values formation, discipline, obedience, and at the same time, equipping them with the lens of playing the game the right way."

Serving as the league's executives alongside Magsanoc are Alfrancis Chua as the Executive Committee Chairman, LA Tenorio as Tournament Director, Bonnie Tan as Program Director, and Fidel Mangonon III as the Operations Manager. Bigboy Cheng acts as the league president, while Eric Ang handles finance.

Fourteen teams have been invited to particpate, twelve of which are coming from the UAAP and the NCAA, with Fil-Chinese institutions Xavier and MGC New Life Christian Academy completing the field, which has been split into two groups of seven teams.

The competition kicks off at the Tanduay Gym with a quadruple-header, with the matchup between Arellano and San Beda at 9am, followed by National University-Nazareth School against the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta at 1030am.

In the afternoon session, FEU-Diliman faces the University of Santo Tomas at 1pm, followed by the University of the East against Jose Rizal University at 230pm.

Supporting the inaugural edition of the NGBL are Uratex, Jollibee, JE Tour Philippines, World Balance, Verleo Catering, Tanduay Athletics, and RICA UPVC Aluminum Glass and Trading Corp.

In addition, Molten will serve as the official game ball, Team Rebel Sports Pilipinas as the official outfitter, and Gatorade and Summit Natural Drinking Water as the official hydration partners.

Games will take place at the Tanduay Gym on Sundays and Holidays, with Saturday matches taking place at the Aero Center in Quezon City. The league is set to stream them online through their official social media platforms.