IN less than two weeks the Jr. National Basketball Association (NBA)/Jr. Women’s NBA (WNB) Philippines 2015 program (presented by Alaska) will have chosen this year’s new batch of Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA All-Stars.
The All-Stars will be selected from the most outstanding players culled from seven regional selection camps held from January to April. And now, after the Manila regional selection camp held at the PICC Forum last weekend, the cast is almost complete.
Thirty-eight boys and 21 girls have been selected from key cities visited by the Jr. NBA program this year: three boys and one girl from Palawan; three boys and two girls from Biñan; four boys and three girls from Iloilo; four boys and three girls from Baguio, 10 boys and four girls from Bacolod; three boys and two girls from Davao; and 11 boys and six girls from the National Capital Region (NCR). Still to be selected are the choice players from the Alaska Power Camp. Then the 50 boys and 24 girls who have qualified for inclusion into the national training camp (NTC) from April 24 to 26 will compete for 15 slots (10 boys and five girls) that will make them this year’s Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA All-Stars.
As this year’s competitors do their thing in the camp—basketball drills, skills stations challenges, team scrimmages and basketball fun games—earlier batches of Jr. NBA All-Star alumni will entertain mallgoers at the Mall of Asia Music Hall with a Jr. NBA All-Star Alumni Game that will be an exciting athletic showcase of tomorrow’s dominant cage talents.
Once just as green and just as—dare I say, little?—as the 10- to 14-year-olds who join the program every year, many of the All-Star alumni are now blue-chip rookies or mainstays of collegiate teams. Jr. NBA All-Stars are scouted by coaches and basketball scouts during the NTC (or even at the regional level) and that’s how many of them end up in University Athletic Association of the Philippines or National Collegiate Athletic Association teams.
For the past two years Jr. NBA Alumni All-Star games have been played during the last day of the NTC. In 2013 the alumni were drafted and divided into two teams. One team was known as Team Muggsy, and was coached by NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues, who attended the NTC as guest coach. The other team was known as Team Jolas, coached by Philippine Basketball Association Legend Jojo Lastimosa, who was head of the local Jr. NBA coaches then.
Muggsy Bogues chose Aljon Mariano to be captain of his team, which was made up of Hubert Cani of the National University Bullpups; Carlo Escalambre of the San Sebastian Staglets; Roald Mayor; Patrick Ramirez and Patrick Nigel Go of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Cubs; Arnie Padilla; Arc Araw-Araw and Miguel Competente of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu; Ichie Altamirano of the University of the East (UE) Junior Warriors; and Mio Puno of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets.
Team Jolas was composed of University of the Philippines’s (UP) Henry Asilum (captain); Kobe Paras of La Salle Greenhills; Aljun Melecio of De La Salle Zobel; Tzaddy Rangel of Hope Christian School; Dawn Ochea and Rendell Senining of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu; Jarell Lim of Xavier School; Thristan Lagman of the UST Tiger Cubs; RK Ilagan of the San Sebastian Staglets; Aldrin Fegidero of the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers; and Paul Dagunan of the UE Junior Warriors.
In 2014 24 Jr. NBA alumni from Batch 2009 to Batch 2013 competed in the All-Star Game, where NBA talents Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz and WNBA Legend Tina Thompson coached Team Gordon and Team Tina.
Besides incoming collegiate league rookies, 2014’s Alumni All-Star Game was headlined by members of the Philippine Under-18 team and high-school stars of various universities. Alumni who came to play were Aldrin Fegidero of Jose Rizal University; Henry Asilum of UP; Paul Harley Dagunan and Ichie Altamirano of UE; Tzaddy Rangel of Hope Christian School; Thristan Edge Laman, Roald Mayor, Patrick Ramirez and Vince Ferrer of the UST; Tyler Tio and Jarrel Lim of Xavier School; Gian Mamuyac of the Ateneo de Manila; Marco Sario, Aljun Jay Melecio and Miguel Fortuna of De La Salle Zobel; Ricci Rivero of La Salle Greenhills; Lorenzo Navarro and Carlo Escalambre of San Sebastian College; Samuel Abuhijleh of San Beda College; Pawandeep Singh of System Plus College Foundation of Angeles City; Lui Besa of Holy Spirit School of Bohol; Miguel Competente of Ateneo de Davao; Rendell Senining of National University; and Arnie Padilla of Far Eastern University.
This year the lineup includes Carlo Escalambre (Batch 2009); incoming Blue Eagle Hubert Cani; De La Salle hotshot Kib Montalbo; UST Growling Tiger Thristan Laman (Batch 2010); Miguel Competente of Ateneo de Davao; incoming De La Salle rookie Lorenzo Navarro; Mapua Cardinal Justin Serrano; incoming NU Bulldog Tzaddy Rangel (Batch 2011); UE Junior Warrior Ichie Altamirano; De La Salle Zobel hero Aljun Jay Melecio; incoming San Sebastian Stag Patrick Ramirez; San Sebastian Staglet RK Ilagan (Batch 2012); Mahloney Tarranza of Ateneo de Davao; Tyler Tio of Xavier School; Batang Gilas and La Salle Greenie Ricci Rivero; UST Tiger Cub Vince Ferrer (brother of Tiger Kevin Ferrer); Marvin Sario of De La Salle Zobel (Batch 2013); UST Tiger Cub Jan Cyril Narvasa; La Salle Greenie Luigi Velasco; Batang Gilas and NU Bullpup Rhayyan Amsali; UST Tiger Cub Vince Dolendo; and NU Bullpup Paul Manalang (Batch 2014); UP Fighting Maroons Henry Asilum (2010), Jarrell Lim (2011) and Janjan Jaboneta (2012) are still to be confirmed.
Do you want to see the future of Philippine basketball mixing it up in one basketball court as early as now?
You’re invited to watch the 2015 version of the Jr. NBA All-Star Alumni Game on April 26 at 12 noon at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. It’s all free!