Iloilo City – Six Iloilo students, four boys and two girls, topped the Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2015 presented by Alaska at the Ateneo de Iloilo on March 8.
Vince Andrew Jayme, 14, of Huasiong College of Iloilo; Jann Paolo Villariza and Lucky Charm Ramos, both 13, of Sun Yat Sen High School and Ian Dominic Espinosa, 12, of Ateneo de Iloilo are the Jr. NBA representatives of Western Visayas, while Jenedith Ruth Valle, 13, of Barrio Obrero National High School and Shan Sumagaysay, 13, of the Colegio Sagrado Corazon de Jesus of Iloilo are the region’s Jr. WNBA hopefuls in the National Training Camp in Manila this April.
The six young players were among 293 participants who trooped to the Ateneo de Iloilo on Saturday for the two-day camp. The Top 40 Performers of the first day which consisted of vitals tests, skills challenges and basketball drills were asked to return Sunday for more intense drills, team exercises and scrimmages which would help the coaching staff select the most skilled basketball players who also exemplified the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA core values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect.
At the end of Day 2, the six young players emerged as the top picks of the region. The Jr. NBA evaluation committee was composed of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA head coach Chris Sumner and Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA coaches composed of PBA Legends Topex Robinson and Rodney Santos, Alaska Power Camp coaches John Ramirez and Junjun Alas, and Perlas Pilipinas national players Ish Tiu and Melissa Jacob.
“One good thing about this batch from Iloilo is that the players have the skill and talent, and yet they have a yearning to learn more and to excel even further. That spirit of competitiveness is what they will bring to Manila and put them on good footing with the other National Training Camp finalists who are also top players from other regions,” said Coach Ish Tiu.
The next Regional Selection Camp will be held in Baguio City at St. Louis University on March 14 and 15. Three more regional selection camps follow in Bacolod City at St. John Institute on March 21 and 22, Davao City at the University of the Immaculate Conception on March 28 and 29 and Manila at the PICC Forum on April 11 and 12. Qualified boys and girls who wish to join the selection camps may still register at www.jrnba.asia/philippines. The program is completely free at all stages.
Ten Jr. NBA and five Jr. WNBA All-Stars will be selected at the National Training Camp and will embark on a unique, overseas NBA experience together with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia. The Coach of the Year presented by Alaska will also be announced at the National Training Camp that will be attended by NBA talents.
Full program terms and conditions can be found in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA event website. Fans can also follow Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines. For all things NBA, fans may visit www.nba.com, and follow the NBA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nba_philippines).