Jr. NBA Head Coach, Sefu Bernard | Photo by Vyn Radovan

Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska is back in the country for its sixth consecutive year. The leading youth basketball program, which promotes basketball participationm sportsmanship and teamwork, starts in Manila, returns to Davao and makes its debut in Lucena and Dagupan.

The opening ceremony tipoff was held last January 19 in the British School Manila. Coach Sefu Bernard, the Director of Basketball Operations for NBA Asia, was introduced as this year’s Jr NBA head coach and Camp Director. Coaches Franco Atienza, Topex Robinson, Louie Alas, Alex Compton, Dickie Bachman and Jojo Lastimosa will all get to work with Coach Sefu. Several Jr NBA alumni, like Thirdy Ravena, Kobe Paras, Itchi Altamirano, Lorenzo Caballo, Carlo Escalantre, Tsaddy Tabaldo and Patrick Go, were also present.

Notable Jr. NBA alumni showed their support and shared their experiences during the tip off ceremony | Photo by Vyn Radovan

Coaches Clinics and School Clinics will be held in selected cities all throughout February. This will be followed by Regional Selection Camps, open to kids aged 10-14, in Davao (March 9-10), Dagupan (March 16-17), Lucena (April 6-7) and Manila (April 13-14).

The top 50 participants will then be invited to a 3-day national training camp, which will be held in Manila. This will be led by Coach Sefu Bernard, along with other accredited local coaches. The 10 best campers will form the 2013 Jr. NBA Philippine All-Star team and will have a chance to go against a Jr. NBA team from another country.

The program remains free in all its stages for local coaches and kids who want to participate. Registration is currently ongoing through their website at www.jrnba.com.ph.