Coach Jama Mahlalela, NBA Asia Director for Basketball Operations, instructs kids at the Regional Selection Camp in Biñan, Laguna.

After 10 kids each from four different regions — Cebu, Bacolod, Laguna and Manila — have been selected, the final ten members of the elite cast of 50 are yet to be determined in the 2011 Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska Milk.

The Jr. NBA National Training Camp, which will be held from April 9 to 11 at La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City, will boast of the cream of the crop in the age bracket of 10 to 14 year old children who excelled in their respective regional camps.

Supervising the three-day clinic that will filter out only ten of the best players in the nation will be NBA legend A.C. Green, who is best known for his monicker “The Ironman” for appearing in 1,192 consecutive NBA games for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat in his 16 year pro career.

So far, this year’s edition have already broken various Jr. NBA world records. First, the Bacolod leg last January attracted 1,005 participants. Soon after, on March 5 and 6 in Biñan, that record did not stand for long as the two-day Laguna camps held at the Lakeshore Institutes drew 1,223 participants.

The cast of 50 will finally be complete once ten more students from the Alaska Power Camp have been selected to the nationals.

By the end of the national training camp, only an elite cast of ten will be handpicked to be part of the Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star team in a match against another Jr. NBA team from another country. Also, top ten promising coaches will be recognized as part of the program for this year’s edition.

This event is presented by Alaska Milk Corporation and is supported by Asia Miles, Gatorade, and Hi-Smart Multivitamins. Basketball TV is tapped as the official media partner, with Marriott Manila and Spalding being the Official Suppliers of the event.