27 February 2019
Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska staged its first open clinic for 2019 at the Sisters of Mary Boystown and Girlstown in Silang, Cavite on Feb. 23-24, teaching over three thousand boys and girls the fundamentals of basketball and Jr. NBA core values.
As part of the league’s efforts to promote inclusion, Jr. NBA Philippines provided opportunities for young girls of Sisters of Mary Girlstown from Grades 7-10 to participate in basketball drills and skills development exercises on Feb. 23, with a total of 2,248 female athletes experiencing world class basketball instruction from Jr. NBA Coaches Natalia Dos Santos and Jeffrey Cariaso with the Alaska coaches. On Feb. 24, the Jr. NBA Philippines program hosted 1,060 kids that learned the fundamentals of shooting, passing, dribbling, defending and conditioning, while Alaska and Gatorade facilitated nutrition and hydration talks respectively.
“Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska distinguishes itself by reinforcing an active lifestyle and instilling positive values for kids while enjoying the game of basketball,” said Dos Santos. “Through the Jr. NBA program, we empower children from varying backgrounds and help them fulfill their potential as young players and future leaders of society.”
In addition to the open clinic, Jr. NBA Philippines will stage Regional Selection Camps in Lucena (March 9-10), Baguio (March 23-24), Dumaguete (March 30-31), Butuan (April 13-14), and Metro Manila (April 26-27) to advance the top 40 boys and 40 girls in the National Training Camp on May 17-19. As many as five boys and five girls from the National Training Camp will advance to the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Qualifiers, a week-long selection camp in June featuring top youth players from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
As a culminating event, the top performing 10 boys and 10 girls will represent Asia Pacific in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship held Aug. 6-11 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
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