Deadline extended for Elite Camp

It’s not too late to sign up for the Elite Basketball Camp that coach Eric Altamirano, Alex Compton and National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran David Wood are conducting at the Brent International School grounds in Mamplasan, Laguna, on April 7-12.

The extended deadline for players to submit their application forms is on Monday, March 6. The Elite Camp is open only to third and fourth year Metro Manila high school students who are varsity players endorsed by their coaches and principals.

Compton said he expects at least 500 players to show up for the tryouts on March 11 for third year players and March 12 for fourth year players. Both tryouts begin at 1 p.m. (registration starts at 12:30 p.m.) in the San Beda Alabang gym. The top 80 survivors of the tryouts will be given the rare opportunity to participate in the stay-in, six-day Elite Camp.

"We’ve invited over 50 schools to nominate five third year and five fourth year varsity high school players for the tryouts," said Compton. "The tryouts aren’t open to anyone. Only those who apply and are eligible will be invited to the tryouts. Only those who are third or fourth year varsity players with endorsements from their coaches and principals are eligible."

To prepare for the Elite Camp, Compton flew to the US last Feb. 17 to spend a week with former New Jersey Nets assistant coach and Five Star guru Ed Schilling.

"I stayed at coach Ed’s home and we talked about the Elite Camp day and night," said Compton. "I also helped him out in one of the clinics that he conducted. We finalized the exact drills, methods and structures necessary to make Elite the best camp the Philippines has ever seen. Coach Ed actually ran the Five Star camps for numerous years and we are ecstatic to have him as our consultant."

Compton, who turns 32 on March 16 (same birthday as B. J. Manalo and Don Camaso, he pointed out), said he’s encouraged by a lot of positive feedback about his possible entry into the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) next season.

No less than PBA vice chairman Ricky Vargas said the other day he’s for allowing Compton to play as a local. Compton was born here to American parents, played NCAA Division I hoops at Cornell University and has seen action in the Metropolitan Basketball Association and the Philippine Basketball League the last eight years. Although he has no Filipino lineage, Compton is considered more Filipino than some Filipinos in that he speaks Filipino fluently, imbibes Filipino values and champions Filipino causes.

Compton said it’ll be a blessing to play in the PBA. Age won’t be a factor, he said. "Hahabulin ko si Jawo," chuckled Compton, referring to former Sen. Robert Jaworski’s record of longevity in the league. Does he think he has at least five good playing years left? "Oh, yeah," said Compton without hesitation. And if he’s out to break Jaworksi’s record, Compton should be ready to play a lot more than just five years.

At the moment, Compton is preoccupied with preparing for the Elite Camp.

"Personally, I had the good fortune of attending many excellent summer basketball camps in the US," he said. "Among these are the Five Star basketball camp, ABCD and Blue Chip, the best teaching camp of which is the Five Star. There are also other all-star by-invitation-only camps in the US such as the Nike and Adidas camps. A common theme in these camps is that they are overnight camps that last for close to a week, housing the players in one contained area, typically a college campus, near the courts.

"Focus is placed on teaching of the game in individual and team settings as well as having an emphasis on discipline. Games are played but the idea is not to just throw the ball out and let the kids play but rather to teach them how to play and give them the discipline and skills necessary to make them better. As a young player, I benefited greatly from attending those camps."

Compton said he will share his experiences at the Elite Camp.

"The Elite Camp will focus on really pouring into these kids, teaching them drills and skills necessary to make them better players," he continued. "David Wood will be coming for the entire duration of the camp. Other members of the staff include B. J. Manalo and Dennis Madrid and we already have verbal commitments from some PBA coaches. Elite will be an exceptionally well-structured camp based on the Five Star model. "I have been a part of camps in the US, Latvia, New Zealand and have played competitively in Germany, Austria and Taiwan against many different teams from different nations. Unfortunately, the truth is basketball-wise, there is more focused, disciplined teaching and training in these nations than in the Philippines. This should not be. We really want to elevate the level of play of our young players who are the future of Philippine basketball."

For particulars on the Elite Camp and tryouts, interested players may contact Mylene at 631-1195 or 631-1959 or visit the International Basketball Academy office at 30/F Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati or the project secretariat at 26 Rosas Street, Vale Verde 2, Pasig City.