NBTC returns after three years

The National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) is coming back after three years.

The NBTC National Finals and All-Star Game will return to the Mall of Asia Arena on March 15 to 19.

For the National Finals, a total of 24 teams will duke it out in the classification round where the winners will be placed in Division 1 while the losers will be in Division 2.

Both divisions will have four groups of three which will play in round-robin eliminations. The top team from each group will advance to the knockout semifinals and finals, where a team will be hailed as Division 1 and 2 champions.

"Finally, after a three-year wait, the stage is set for young Filipino talent to shine again. We're very much excited for our tournament to prove that Philippine grassroots basketball is alive and well," said NBTC program director Eric Altamirano.

Aside from school teams, clubs are also invited in the tournament, however,  all players of the club teams must be born before January 1, 2004 and have Filipino lineage.

The All-Star Game, meanwhile, will have Team Heart and Team Hustle face off, with the participants of both teams being selected through NBTC 24. The system ranks the best players in the NCAA Season 98 and UAAP Season 85 juniors basketball tournament, and the recently concluded CESAFI Season 22 high school tournament.

The selection committee will be made up of writers covering the leagues who use statistics and eye tests to determine who will be included.

International and provincial players who stand out in the National Finals will also be named into the All-Star Game. Side events such as the Slam Dunk Contest, Three-Point Shootout, and Skills Challenge will return as well.

"We're happy to be continuing on the road we've been on since 2017, when we first launched the NBTC 24 as a ranking system that recognizes the future of collegiate basketball and, ultimately, Philippine basketball," said NBTC Special Projects Head Anton Altamirano.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA Integrated News