Jr. NBA hits Cebu this weekend

CEBU, Philippines - The Jr. NBA, the NBA’s youth basketball development program, will hold a weekend of basketball clinics for players and coaches at the Lux Oriens Gym of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) in Canduman, Mandaue City. Presented by Alaska Milk, the Jr. NBA will hold a clinic for students and players on Saturday. The event is for free and covers two sessions, with the first starting at 8 am and the second at 1 pm. 

Something new this year will be the entry of young girl layers who will also get the opportunity to participate and benefit from the program with the newly introduced Jr. WNBA program. Young females all over the Philippines can now partake in NBA basketball clinics and vie for the chance to be named Jr. WNBA All-Stars. Girls are thus invited to attend the clinic.

A coaches clinic will then be held on Sunday, also at the SHS-Ateneo de Cebu Campus. The session starts at 8 am, and is open for all coaches, trainers and P.E. teachers. This clinic is also for free. Expected to attend both clinics are players and coaches from Cebu schools that will play in the Alaska Basketball Cup Cebu. The Department of Education (DEPED) through Central Visayas Regional Director Carmelita Dulangon has also thrown its support to the event.

The weekend of clinics is one for four activities of the Jr. NBA. They will also conduct the regional camps in March, which will serve as the stepping stone to a national training camp in April where the Jr. NBA Philippine team will be formed. Among Cebu’s products who had made it to the national Jr. NBA team in the past include CESAFI MVP Macmac Tallo, Adrian Muller, Arc Gabriel Araw-araw, Henry Asilum, Patrick Go, Dawn Ochea, Rendell Senining, Arnie Padilla and Janjan Jaboneta.

In addition to presenting partner Alaska Milk, official partners include Gatorade and Phoenix Petroleum. Returning as Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Supporting Partners are KFC and Spalding. The official NBA broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and ABS-CBN Sports. (FREEMAN)