Nokia U16 caps Australian training

MANILA, Philippines – Nokia Pilipinas U16 coach Eric Altamirano said the recent stint of Team RP in the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) allowed the team to focus on shooting and ability to attack the zone, two things that would boost the country’s bid in the FIBA-Asia U16 Championships set in Malaysia later this year.

Altamirano made this assessment following the team’s 10-day trip to Canberra, Australia, where they attended a training camp and competed in a pocket tournament at the AIS as facilitated by National Intensive Training Centre Program (NITCP) head coach Rob Beveridge.

“The players took to heart tips on shooting and taking advantage of the gaps when the opponents play zone. They were exposed to the international level of competition where games are played by taller and quicker players. The AIS training helped us a lot in winning our games during the tournament,” said Altamirano.

Along with the camp, the team played and won all four games in two days, including the finals against the New South Wales Metro, 90-69.

Jeron Teng led the team with 19 points and two steals in the final game while Michael Tolomia had 15 points and Kiefer Ravena added 14 points and seven assists. Von Pessumal tallied 14 points and six assists while Cedric Labing-isa posted 10 points and two assists.

Aside from New South Wales Metro, the other teams which competed were Australian Capital Territory (ACT) 1 and ACT 2.

“This victory should not remove our focus from our long-term goals, which is to prepare for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) qualifier and the Fiba-Asia Championships,” said Altamirano.

The Nokia Pilipinas U16 team is slated to compete next in the Fr. Martin’s Cup’s college division and the Nike Summer League high school division in the next two months. It recently had a stint in the Nike Elite Camp in Brent, Mamplasan and played senior teams during the Nokia NBTC D-League.

Other members of the team in the Aussie trip are Roldan Sara, Ralph Nayve, Kristoffer De La Costa, Jeffrey Javillonar, Paolo Luis Romero, John Aldrin Lunas, Kevin Ferrer, Joshua Torralba, Michael Anthony Pate, Rene Sta. Maria and Gelo Alolino. Bobby Ray Parks is still in the US.