It’s game time as the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska returns to the Philippines. On its 10th year, the Jr. NBA is set to tip off on January 21, Saturday, at the Don Bosco Makati.
Alaska’s partnership with NBA Philippines is in line with Alaska’s commitment to promoting sports and outdoor play in the Philippines.
“The Jr. NBA Program is a great fit with Alaska’s mission to nurture young talents and to promote healthy and active lifestyle through sports and outdoor play,” says Wilfred Uytengsu, Alaska Milk Corporation President & CEO.
Based on the 8th National Nutrition Survey in 2013 by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), obesity is one of the most prevalent nutritional problems of Filipino children with about 5 out of 100 Filipino children are overweight.
Given the growing issues on health, Alaska believes that there is a need to reinforce its thrust in leading a healthy lifestyle not just by drinking milk but by living actively through sports and other outdoor activities. Alaska seeks to engage the Filipino consumers, especially the youth, through its sports development programs to help nourish children to become champions.
“With Alaska as our partner, the Jr. NBA program has reached hundreds of schools and communities nationwide and benefited thousands of children, parents, and coaches through grassroots activities like basketball training camps and school clinics, NBA Cares outreach projects, television programs and online initiatives,” says NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.
This year, thousands of students, parents, and coaches are expected to benefit through the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA activities. The program is composed of four stages: the school and open clinics, the Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and the NBA experience trip.
The schools and open clinics will be held nationwide from January through March. Clinics will be held in Bacolod, Batangas, Cagayan De Oro, Cavite, Cebu, Metro Manila and Subic. Select players from these clinics will get the chance to showcase their talents during the Regional Selection Camps, which will be held in Cagayan de Oro City on February 11-12, Lucena City on February 25-26, Cebu City on March 11-12, and Makati City on April 1-2.
From the Regional Selection Camps, the top 37 boys and 37 girls will advance to the National Training Camp in Manila. The National Training Camp will have (names of NBA/WNBA talents) in attendance to help train the pool.
In the end of the National Training Camp, eight Jr. NBA and 8 Jr. WNBA aspirants will be selected to comprise this year’s All Stars. They will travel with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia for a unique, overseas NBA experience later in the year.
The Jr. NBA Program is the international youth development program of the NBA. It aims to promote basketball participation, sportsmanship, teamwork and active lifestyle among children. It emphasizes fundamental skills development and the formation of STAR values – Sportsmanship, Teamwork, Positive Attitude, and Respect.
The program is free and open to children ages 5 to 14 years old. It provides children the opportunity to showcase their talent, improve their skills and be trained under Jr. NBA coaches, and participate in friendly matches with high school varsity teams from abroad.
With the success of the Jr. NBA program in the Philippines, Alaska’s mother company FrieslandCampina, extended its partnership to cover 4 countries in Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2014, Alaska launched the Jr. WNBA program to widen the reach of the sport to girls all over the country.
Interested participants and coaches may register online through www.jrnbaphilippines.com. For live updates, follow Alaska PlayPh on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
