Jr. NBA Philippines introduces Jr. WNBA program

Members of the 2013 Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star Team pose with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Photo courtesy of: Jr. NBA Philippines

Jr. NBA Philippines is back for its seventh year to introduce kids to sports and help them develop their skills in basketball. Presented by Alaska, the program introduces Jr. WNBA for the benefit of young girls who want to learn to ball.

The program kicks off with a coaches’ clinic on January 18 at the British School in Bonifacio Global City with a school clinic to be held the following day starting at 10am. Jr. NBA then goes to Cebu with a school clinic on January 25 and a coaches’ clinic on January 26 at the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu. There will be more clinics lined up for the rest of the year, which include stops in Puerto Princesa, Dagupan City, Surigao, and Iloilo City.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is free and open to players from 10-14 years old. Aside from basketball clinics, other activities include camps, NBA Cares outreach activities, and more. The program also espouses the S.T.A.R. values of sportsmanship, teamwork, positive attitude, and respect on players, coaches, and parents.

For the second straight year, NBA Asia Senior Director of Basketball Operations Sefu Bernard will serve as camp director. He will be assisted by coaches of the Alaska Power Camp, headed by Jojo Lastimosa. Last year, former NBA player Muggsy Bogues appeared during the national training camp to impart knowledge and provide inspiration to the participants.

For coaches, the clinic will impart to them new techniques, approaches, and methodologies. Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is also searching for its Coach of the Year, which will be awarded to the coach who best helped grow the sport of basketball and promote the S.T.A.R. values.

Jr. NBA was introduced to the country in 2007 with clinics held in 16 schools around Metro Manila. In the following years, the program expanded to cover more locations. In 2013, it was conducted in more than 500 schools and communities, reaching more than 60,000 students, parents and coaches.

The program is composed of four stages, namely, the touring clinics, the regional selection camps, the national training camp, and the NBA Experience. The ten best participants from the national training camp will be selected to be part of the Jr. NBA Philippine All-Star Team, who will then travel to the USA for a chance to play against other youth players and get to go through an NBA Experience.

Some of the alumni of the Jr. NBA program include Kiefer Ravena of the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, Mark Tallo of the Southwestern University Cobras, and Kib Montalbo of the De La Salle Green Archers.