16 boys, 10 girls make it to National Training Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2014 presented by Alaska, 797 join Regional Selection Camp

MANILA – 16 boys -- 9 from Metro Manila, 2 from Bacolod, 2 from Cavite, 1 from Rizal, 1 from Tarlac and 1 from Batangas -- emerged as the best of the Manila Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2014 presented by Alaska held at the Philippine International Conventional Center (PICC) Forum Tent at the CCP Complex April 13. 10 girls – 6 from Metro Manila, 2 from Laguna, 1 from Cavite and 1 from Sorsogon -- will join the first-ever pool of Jr. WNBA aspirants who will compete in the inaugural Jr. WNBA tilt this year.
The Manila Regional Selection Camp is the last tryout for this year’s Jr. NBA Program and immediately precedes the high point of the Jr. NBA – the National Training Camp – which will be participated in by 50 male players and 30 girl players -- top picks from the various regional selection camps conducted in Surigao, Iloilo, Cebu, Dagupan, Puerto Princesa, Manila and the Alaska Power Camp.
709 boys and 88 girls from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bacolod, Rizal, Quezon, Pangasinan and Baguio City joined the Manila tryouts. The Top 50 male players and Top 30 female players with the best scores on the vitals tests, skills stations and fitness challenges were asked to return on Day 2. The players chosen from the April 13 pool will move on to the National Training Camp.
The 16 boys are : John Gates, Paul Manalang, James Pradella and Rhayyan Amsali from National University; John Lyndon Sayong and Joshua Fetil of Divine Life Academy; Jan Narvasa and Rean Relucio of the University of Santo Tomas, Sean Patrick Catsao of Philippine Christian University, Sean Barranco of Diliman Preparatory School, Luigi Velasco of La Salle Greenhills, Christian Duane Anterola of Elizabeth Seton Academy, Anthony Desoyo of Escuela de Sophia, Sam Joseph Bedangel of Taitung High School in Bacolod, Kyle Chua of St. John’s Institute of Bacolod, and Kobe Monje of Tarlac College of Agriculture.
The 10 girls are : Roxanne Salvador and Kreecie Binaohan of University of Perpetual Help, Andrea Penetrante of Balombong High School in Caloocan, Arielle Lanot and Akami Marteja of De La Salle Zobel, Micaela Pentecostes of Bangkal Elementary School, Makati; Romina Manahan of St. Theresa’s College Quezon City, Julianne Ebio of Sorsogon National High School, Stephanie Villapando of Trace College, Laguna and Luisa San Juan of Amazing Grace School in Laguna.
The Manila finalists were chosen by the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA evaluation committee headed by Jr. NBA coach Chris Sumner, Specialist, Basketball Operations of NBA Asia and PBA Legend Jojo Lastimosa of Alaska. Their all-around basketball skills and how they exhibited the Jr. NBA’s core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, (a positive) Attitude and Respect.
The National Training Camp will be held at the PICC Forum Tent on April 25 and 26 and at the SM Mall of Asia on April 27. All the best players from each region will pit skills and the ways in which they express the STAR values during the three-day boot camp that will prepare them to be exceptional athletes and total persons on and off the court. The 10 best male performers selected in the National Training Camp will be this year’s Jr. NBA Philippines All Star Team, while the 5 best female performers will be the first-ever Jr. WNBA All-Star Team. The male and female All-Stars will be rewarded with an authentic NBA experience and the chance to play with a counterpart youth team abroad.
NBA player Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz and WNBA Legend Tina Thompson will arrive in Manila for the National Training Camp and join the coaching staff of the Jr. NBA.
Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is presented by Alaska Milk. Gatorade and Phoenix Petroleum are Official Partners, while KFC and Spalding are Supporting Partners. The SM Mall of Asia and SM Cinemas are the Official Venues for Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA. Official NBA Broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and ABS-CBN Sports. Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is also supported by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP).
The Jr. NBA program was first conducted in the Philippines in 2007 and has more than doubled in participation in the past six years. Each year a new city benefits from the grassroots basketball program that involves not just young players but also their parents and coaches. This year, more than 80,000 students, parents, and coaches will benefit through Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA activities including camps and clinics, NBA Cares outreach activities, television programs and digital initiatives.
Registration was conducted through the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA event website www.jrnba.asia/philippines. Fans can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines. For all things NBA, visit us at www.nba.com and follow us on our official Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/NBA_Philippines.



About Alaska
Alaska recognizes the need of Filipino children for proper nutrition. According to the 7th National Nutrition Survey done by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute and the Department of Health, trend of obesity is increasing with nearly 2 out 10 children considered as overweight. Under-nutrition also remains to be a public health concern affecting nearly 3 out 10 children. Alaska is committed to help provide proper nutrition through its leading brands, Alaska Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink. It contains essential nutrients that help children reach their full growth potential. Aside from proper nutrition, an active lifestyle is needed in order to shape and nurture healthier children. Because of this, Alaska encourages children to “go out and play” through its various sports programs: Alaska Basketball and Football Powercamps and Cups, Alaska Ironkids Triathlon and Alaska Family Run. At the same time, Alaska has a professional basketball team, the 13-time PBA champion, Alaska Aces, which continues to inspire the youth to become future champions who are guided by positive values. Finally, Alaska partners with excellent local and international organizations that share the same objectives, vision, and values namely the Philippine Basketball Association, Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Philippines, Makati and Alabang Football Schools and the Philippine National Football Team, the Azkals.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League. The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2013-14 season featured a record 92 international players from 39 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which averages more than 42 million page views per day, more than half of which originate from outside of North America. The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 500 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $225 million to charity, completed more than 2.6 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 830 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.