NBTC D-League for teens goes full blast

MANILA, Philippines - The National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Developmental League Program is going full blast with its basketball clinics and training camps for teens in public schools with more sessions being lined up in other provinces and key cities nationwide.

Dubbed the Energen FEAT or Feeding and Enriching the Athletes of Tomorrow 2011, Youth Basketball Program head Jose Lopa said the year-long program has drawn thousands of kids from the public schools from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manila.

“We believe the sport is a good tool for the youth to develop the character of these kids from the public schools,” said Lopa in yesterday’s press conference at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt, Makati City.

“We’ve also noticed the dropout cases are very high in public schools so this program should help motivate these kids to continue studying,” he said.

The NBTC Developmental League Program is held in partnership with Energen Nutricious Milk and Cereal.

NBTC program director Eric Altamirano said they’ve actually started holding coaches and basketball seminars early this year in several government schools in Pasig, Quezon City, Muntinlupa and Marikina. These will culminate in Thursday’s graduation rites at The Arena in San Juan.

“We expect over a thousand coaches and players gathering there for the awarding ceremonies and some games,” said Altamirano, the former Phl youth coach who will handle National University in the coming UAAP season.

National training director Alex Compton also disclosed Brian Sebastian will be the guest speaker in the Thursday graduation ceremonies.

“Brian Sebastian is not a celebrity, he’s a product of the public school and he’s giving it back by working for public school children. We feel it’s fitting he’ll be speaking in behalf of these kids,” said Compton.

The NBTC is also scheduled to hold several camps in Lucena, Naga, Cavite and Palawan in South Luzon, Bulacan, Olongapo, Pampanga and Tarlac in North Luzon, Ormoc, Dumaguete, Cebu and Bohol in the Visayas and Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Zamboanga and General Santos in Mindanao.

Altamirano said aside from Energen and TAO Corp., the NBTC is supported by Accel and Fil-Oil Flying V in terms of free jerseys and playing venues, respectively, and backed by the Department of Education.