HOOPS action in the Jr. NBA Philippines nears its culmination as the 20 best campers in Metro Manila and Luzon will be selected at the Jose Rizal University (JRU) gym on Sunday.
The best 20 Jr. NBA players from Cebu and Davao have already been chosen in the past two weeks wherein they will join their Manila counterparts in the Jr. NBA National Training Camp hosted by NBA Legend B.J. Armstrong and US Jr. NBA Coach Frank Lopez in JRU on April 16 to 18.
The Jr. NBA National Training Camp is the final stage of the third consecutive Jr. NBA Philippines Program presented by Hi Smart Multivitamins.
Regional Selection Camp participants can, however, already expect non-stop basketball action conducted by Jr. NBA-appointed coaches Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras, Rey Evangelista, Paolo Rivera, and Louie Gonzales on Sunday.
The participants are set to undergo shooting skills challenges, dribbling and passing drills, endurance tests, fitness and agility tests.
Their vertical jump will be measured using the NBA’s state of the art “Just Jump System,” where kids will step on a precision mat, jump as high as they can, while a computer with laser mechanism measures the height of their vertical leap correctly.
The kids will also be given seminars on health and nutrition by Hi-Smart and the Science of Sweat, Hydration and Performance from Gatorade.
Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Top 20 kids with the highest scores in the five fundamental skills stations – the Hi-Smart Dribbling Station, the Hi-Smart Lay-up Station, the Gatorade Shooting Station, the Mitsubishi Footwork Station and the Basketball TV Passing Station – will be chosen to play in the scrimmage in the afternoon. The final Top Ten from Manila and Luzon will be chosen from the 20 who participated in the scrimmage.
Armstrong, formerly of the Chicago Bulls, and Lopez will fly to Manila in April for the national training camp.
The best eight national campers from the 40 regional finalists will be proclaimed the 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star Team and will be rewarded with an authentic NBA experience. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)