Nine North Luzon players to compete at the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp

“What I’ve noticed here in Baguio is that there are a lot of good dribblers. The kids here are very competitive, very enthusiastic. They’re working hard. The three questions I always ask the kids – Did you have fun? Did you give your best? And the last one is, do you love basketball? And it’s all, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” and I think that’s our goal here, making sure that the kids are learning basketball, they’re having fun and more importantly they are giving their best.” ~Tony dela Cruz, former PBA player  from presenting partner Alaska

The seven boys and two girls from the Benguet Regional Selection Camp who will advance to the National Training Camp are (L-R): Jhulliana Francesca Pagteilah, Jusrhylle Rayne de Vera, Czarlo Lorenzo Salvador, Aethan Pagio, Nathaniel Tomeldan, Laurence Christian Batongbakal, Kenneth Gabriel Duca, Christine Nicole Venterez, and Zak Adlee Gumaya.

Over a thousand young basketball players from Baguio, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, and other nearby provinces joined the Jr. NBA Philippines North Luzon Regional Selection Camp at Benguet State University in La Trinidad on March 23-24. 

Defense is the basis of all good basketball. The Jr. NBA program emphasizes defensive drills and mental alertness at all times.

After two days of basketball drills and exercises, seven boys and two girls exhibited outstanding oncourt skills and embodied the core values of the game and will move on to the next stage of the program—the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp-- in Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati on May 17-19.  A roster of 40 boys and 40 girls will be gathered from the Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camps in Benguet, Butuan, Dumaguete, Lucena, and Metro Manila, and a select group from the Alaska Power Camp.  Players from across the archipelago will showcase their talents and vie to be named as Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars.

A young Jr. NBA cager learns to impose his offense on the tough defense put up by taller players.

This year, Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars—comprised of as many as five boys and five girls—will compete in the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Selection Camp, a week-long camp in June that includes top youth players from North Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region.

A young Jr. NBA participant keeps her eyes locked on the ring as she tries to escape her opponent’s pesky defense.

The Asia Pacific regional competition will provide the 2019 batch of Jr. NBA All-Stars the opportunity to represent the region in the Jr. NBA Global Championship that will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.  The international event will feature talented youth from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Mexico, Africa, India, and the Asia-Pacific.

Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska teaches boy and girl ballers the fundamentals of basketball, including proper defensive stance and active hands.

Boys and girls aged 10-14 years old can join the remaining Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camps in Dumaguete (March 30-31), Butuan (April 13-14) and Metro Manila (April 27-28) by registering at www.jrnba.asia/philippines. 

This Jr. NBA baller keeps his focus and intensity as he drives past his defender.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 is presented by Alaska, with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona and Vivo as official partners. ABS-CBN S+A, Basketball TV, and NBA Premium TV are the official broadcasters of Jr. NBA Philippines.

The following is a complete list of participants selected from the Jr. NBA Philippines Benguet Regional Selection Camp advancing to the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp:

For all things NBA, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook and the NBA at www.nba.com and on Facebook and Twitter. Fans can visit www.alaskamilk.com to learn more about the Alaska Milk Corporation, and follow Alaska Milk on Facebook for more information about Alaska Sports

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 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

Given the growing issues on health as well as the fast-changing technological environment, which leads to the change in children’s interests and behavior or sedentary lifestyle, Alaska believes that there is a need to reinforce its thrust in leading a healthy lifestyle not just by drinking milk but also by leading an active lifestyle. Alaska seeks to engage the youth, especially younger kids, in sports.

Alaska Milk looks beyond selling milk – it sells nutrition and by doing so, the Company and brand Alaska is doing its part in nation-building.  Through youth sports development programs, Alaska is able to help nourish children for them to develop into champions in the field of interest and, in general, in life.  The overall objective of the Alaska Sports is to strengthen the brand’s equity in nutrition through sports.  To portray Alaska Fortified as a brand that helps instill the values of determination, discipline, teamwork, and hard work among the youth through sports.