Global Hoops Showcase back for Year 3
MANILA, Philippines — The third year of the Global Hoops Showcase kicks off Monday, March 16, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
The six-day event is bigger than ever, with a total of 54 international teams of Filipinos born overseas who are looking to connect with their motherland through basketball.
There would have been 56 teams, but two basketball clubs from Dubai backed out because of the current war in the region.
And in Year 3, the showcase is sponsored in a bigger way by Smart Communications, Jollibee, Wilson Philippines, Sequoia Hotel, Gatorade, JHoop Basketball and Arceegee Sportswear.
Youth basketball clubs from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and others are in town to play an intra-tournament from March 16-20.
The squads are categorized into the Boys’ Under-19, Under-18, Under-16 and Under-14, while the Girls division will field Under-16 teams.
Last year’s defending champions include Top Flight Canada which took home the Under-19 title; Crossover Canada, which bagged the Under-16 crown; and Dubai Patriots, which seized the U-14 trophy.
There will be a one-day break as for the second consecutive year, the Global Hoops Showcase will hold its Combine Skills Camp for players with a good job of being recruited for local college and high school basketball teams and youth national squads. This will be held at the BBM Pace Center in Pinaglabanan, San Juan.
The alumni from the foreign hoops programs include Matthew Daves and Kai Ballungay, who both went to play for Ateneo; and James Canlas, who suited up for San Beda. Two from last year’s Global Hoops Showcase were recruited — Chad Gammad, who plays for Letran; and Miles Culdora, who is with San Beda.
Daves, Canlas and Ballungay won championships with their local colleges in Manila, and are now in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Hoopsters to look out for this year include New Zealand’s 6’7” Jordan Amos, Agar Torres and Miguel Martinez.
AUBA Australia top picks include Anthony Flores, Lee Edwards and Jeorge Saleh from the U16 team; U16 girls Amarah Sabben, Olivia Waycott and Bianca Aiken; Boys’ 14U’s Peter Muthiya, Sam Manalang and Mackenzie Morris; and U12’s Blake Waycott-Alalid, Victor Muyna and Malik Whitton.
Batang Europa touts Aldrian Manalo, Colin Austria and Kurt Cabotaje, with their U16 counterparts Tristan Sagum, Carl Rodriguez and Raphael Solomon cited as top prospects.
Bayanihan Elite UK has Max Maurice, Gabriel Toolworthy and Charles Auger for the U19; and Yohan Batugal, Josh O’Donnell, and Janielle Alex for the U18.
HGBA (Australia) named Benjie Vitangcol, Jude Narvais and Liam Naylor as players to look out for, while Coach D (also from Down Under) noted that prospects for the boys’ U16 include Izzy Nanat, LaMarcus Lorenzo and Vince Razo. The girls’ side includes Drey Marquez, Zoe Ycay and Nicole Doctolero.
The Combine Skills Camp will be headed by Emman Papa once more. He also runs the PBA’s Rookie Combine Camp.
There will also be a Youth Prospects Camp, where the country’s basketball authorities will get a first look at players who can augment our national squads.
While the event concludes on Saturday, March 21, with the All-Star Game and the division championships, the collective will close this year’s stint in a most meaningful way with an outreach program.
The Global Hoops Showcase will conduct a basketball camp, a shoe giveaway and a feeding program in Balut, Tondo on March 30.
However, before the March 30 outreach, most of the GHS teams will be participating in the annual NBTC.
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