PBA Legends, collegiate coaches join Jr. NBA coaching staff

PBA Legends, collegiate coaches join Jr. NBA coaching staff

Jr. NBA-appointed coaches Ronnie Magsanoc, Ryan Gregorio, Elmer Cabahug and Al Solis are back for the third consecutive season of the Jr. NBA Philippines Program presented by Hi-Smart Multivitamins. And this time another ex-PBA cager Cadel Mosqueda joins the group to introduce the program to Davao City for the first time.

The NBA’s youth basketball development program, introduced into the country in early 2008 to 16 Metro Manila private and public schools initially, has expanded its reach from 200 schools and 20,000 participants in 2008-09 to 300 schools and approximately 30,000 students in 2009-10. This is the first time that the program will be staged in Davao. It brought the program to Cebu also for the first time last year.

Besides Magsanoc, Gregorio, Cabahug, Solis and Mosqueda, other topnotch local and collegiate coaches have signified their interest to join the coaching staff of this the 2009-2010 Jr. NBA Philippines Program. Some of these are Jamike Jarin, coach of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets; Britt Reroma, San Beda Red Cubs coach; Aboy Castro, varsity coach of the UP Fighting Maroons and Ron Camara, coach of the Ateneo Grade School, among others.

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

“Kids and their parents are inspired to join the program, because they know the NBA fully supports the development of youth basketball in our country. The kids have added motivation to excel because they know they will be rewarded with an unforgettable NBA experience if they could be the one of the best eight in the Jr. NBA National Training Camp,” says Jr. NBA-appointed coach, Ryan Gregorio, also head coach of the Purefoods TJ Giants in the PBA.

Gregorio added that, “The program is a great boost for youth basketball because the transfer of technology will really expose the kids to the global basketball experience. With the support of the Jr. NBA, we may yet be able to produce the first Filipino NBA player. The interest generated by the Jr. NBA program – a 100% free, A-class basketball program -- can also motivate our 12 to 14 year olds to get into basketball instead of getting hooked on vices that would destroy their dreams and aspirations.”

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 the Coaches Clinics to be conducted in Manila, Cebu and Davao in January; School Tryouts in January and February and Regional Selection Camps in March. The 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star 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 Jr. NBA 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 Mall Partner SM Supermalls, Official Supplier Spalding, and the Department of Education.

About Hi-Smart Multivitamins and New Marketlink

Hi-Smart Multivitamins is marketed by New Marketlink Pharmaceutical Corporation, one of the leading national pharmaceutical companies in the Philippines. New Marketlink seeks to become the preferred marketing partner of a variety of international healthcare companies in providing Filipinos with specialized, high quality and value-for-money medicines and health products.

New Marketlink Pharmaceutical Corporation, fueled and propelled by the holding company, TAO Corporation, is poised to undertake bold moves to further establish the new company as a respected leader in the pharmaceutical industry and become a valuable component of TAO Corporation’s mission of building communities and people.

New Marketlink supports the Jr. NBA program by providing Hi-Smart Multivitamins products which assist in the physical and mental development of kids and teenagers who want to achieve their basketball dreams and to help them become a Jr. NBA S.T.A.R. on and off the court.

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a professional sports league and global business that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2009-10 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league’s worldwide reach is also displayed in the 83 international players from 36 countries and territories on NBA rosters. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than 26 million page views per day, with more than 50 percent of the site’s visitors coming from outside of North America. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $115 million to charity, provided more than one million hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 440 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

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Issued by NBA Asia, Limited. For more information, please contact:

NBA

Ip Kam Hung Phone: 852-2843 9628 E-mail: khip@nba.com

Larc&Asset PR

Tessa Jazmines Phone: 63-917 526 1369 E-mail: tessa@larcandasset.com