Filtered by: Sports
Sports

Grassroots basketball put on spotlight as NBTC championship returns after three-year hiatus


The National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) high school championship is set to return after a three-year hiatus, and grassroots-level basketball will be put to the spotlight anew.

Program director Eric Altamirano said after 13 years of holding the NBTC, the mission of the tournament remains the same.

“It has always been our mission to put the spotlight on the grassroots level of Philippine basketball and after 13 years, that remains the same. We firmly believe that investing in the future now can only set us up for a brighter tomorrow,” Altamirano said in a press conference on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena, the venue of the tournament's National Finals which will be held from March 15 to 19.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas deputy executive director Butch Antonio echoed Altamirano.

“The NBTC has been a source of talent before and it will continue to do so,”

A total of 24 teams, including top teams from the NCAA, UAAP, Fil-foreign teams, and local teams, will be divided into two groups for the first round of the tourney before each division will be divided into four groups of three. The top teams from each group after a round robin will advance to the knockout semifinals.

Aside from the tournament proper, the NBTC will also have an All-Star Game, Slam Dunk Contest, Three-point shootout, and Skills Challenge.

The NBTC was last held back in 2019, with National University taking home the crown for that season.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News