“The global basketball stage is opening it’s doors to Asian countries and we should take advantage of the rare opportunity that it is presenting to our youth today.”
That was what Ronnie Magsanoc, Jr. NBA-appointed coach and assistant coach of the Purefoods TJ Giants in the PBA said of the Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Hi-Smart Multivitamins that will officially tip off with the Jr. NBA Coaches Clinic at the Jose Rizal University Gym on Saturday, January 16. The Jr. NBA Coaches Clinic will roll into Cebu City Sports Club in Cebu on January 18 and Montana Gym in Davao on January 21.
Magsanoc, who will be joined on the local coaching staff of this year’s Jr. NBA Philippines program by Purefoods Head Coach Ryan Gregorio and PBA Legend Benjie Paras, said the Jr. NBA program continues to inspire teens aged 12-14 years old to aspire for something bigger in their sport.
He cited the six top campers of last year’s Jr. NBA Philippines program who, he said, were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to taste the NBA experience. Mark Jayven Tallo, Adrian Roland Marvin Mueller and Arc Araw-Araw from Cebu, Aldrin Fegidero and Michael Jay Javelosa from Manila and Jose Carlo Escalambre joined the tryouts, underwent the regional training camp tests and topped the national training camp challenges that earned them the title of Jr. NBA Philippines Team and a trip to the US to play with a counterpart US Jr. NBA Team, go on a tour of New York City and watch an NBA game live.
“Those boys achieved what others are just dreaming of. They were rewarded for all the hard work and sacrifice that they put into the Jr. NBA National Training Camp run by veteran Jr. NBA clinician Coach Frank Lopez and underwent a life changing phase in their young lives. Things will never be the same for them. They made it happen. They will always have that "something special" that they can go back to, to make them feel good when things are not going well,” Magsanoc said.
“Jr. NBA participants are taking the correct step towards becoming better student athletes because they gain valuable experience from the extensive training and the difficult competition. They are also exposed to the proper values thru the S.T.A.R concept – Sportsmanship, Teamwork, (A Positive) Attitude, and Respect -- which define the Jr. NBA program. They become total persons from the whole experience,” Magsanoc said.
“Philippine basketball is getting a huge lift thru this "NBA Cares" program.” Magsanoc said. “We should encourage our Filipino coaches to attend the Coaches Clinics, and work hand in hand with the NBA to find the “diamonds in the rough” in their respective schools and communities.”
“Hopefully, this program continues to identify and develop a Jr. NBA Philippines Team that will get the chance to show their basketball talents in a big stage,” he concluded.
The 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines Program presented by Hi-Smart Multivitamins – the third consecutive Jr. NBA program in the Philippines – will go full blast in 2010, starting with Coaches Clinics to be conducted in Manila, Cebu and Davao in January; School Clinics and Tryouts in January and February and Regional Training Camps in March. The 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines Team, comprised of the eight top campers who exhibit superior basketball ability and who best embody the S.T.A.R. values, will be chosen in April at the National Training Camp.
As presenting partner, Hi-Smart Multivitamins will conduct seminars at the various Jr. NBA schools to educate children, their parents and coaches, on how to meet children’s nutritional requirements. The effort is also supported by the Official Sports Drink Gatorade, Official Broadcast Partner Basketball TV, Official Automobile Partner Mitsubishi Motors, Official Supplier Spalding, and the Department of Education.
This year, the program will be offered in the National Capital Region, Visayas and now Davao, and will reach a record 300 schools and benefit approximately 30,000 students, parents and coaches. Starting today, local school coaches and Filipino boys ages 12 to 14 can register for the program for free through the Jr. NBA event website www.nba.com/jrnba/philippines
The Jr. NBA initiative was introduced in the Philippines in 2007, and grew from 16 schools the first year to 200 schools last year.
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