Rendell Senining of University of San Jose-Recoletos dribbles past the iconic NBA logo. A 5’5" guard, he is the shortest player in the All-Star Team. Photo by Ralph Samson
After over three months of searching and a three-day camp that featured 50 of the best young players in the land, the 10 have finally been chosen.
The 2011 Jr. NBA Philippines has finally drawn to a close, with the selection of perhaps the tallest lineup assembled, on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. A total of seven players hailing from Manila and three from Cebu have been picked out of the thousands that attended the nationwide camps.
Leading the cast are Ferdinand Ravena III and Kobe Lorenzo Paras, both sons of former PBA stars Bong Ravena and Benjie Paras respectively. Other Manila players selected are Jarrell Lim from Xavier School, Alfred Sajulga from De La Salle Zobel, Justin Oliver Serrano, Lorenzo Fernando Navarro, and Tsaddy John Tabaldo.
The three adding a little Southern flavor to the mix are Miguel Kristoffer Competente, Dawn Hynric Ochea, and Rendell Thomas Senining from Cebu.
As an incentive for their selection as part of the Philippine All-Star team, they have been given a trip to the United States to a live NBA game experience along with a chance to travel outside the country to face a counterpart Jr. NBA team.
Special awards were presented to five different players after the grueling three-day camp, with Dawn Hynric Ochea headlining the list after being named the Alaska Most Valuable Player of the camp. Other awardees included Alfred Sajulga (Gatorade Hustle), Niño Dave Paon (Asia Miles Sportsmanship), John Lorenz Toral (BTV Rising Star), and Lorenzo Fernando Navarro (Hi-Smart All-Star Player). Meanwhile, Jarrell Lim was named as Alaska Youth Ambassador.
The National Training Camp held at La Salle Greenhills and SM Mall of Asia from April 9 to 11, was a culmination of the more than three months of conducting camps from four major destinations in the Philippines — Bacolod, Cebu, Laguna, and Manila — that broke previous Jr. NBA attendance records in the country.
NBA Legend AC Green, Coach Frank Lopez and NBA Asia Head of Basketball Operations Jama Mahlalela headed the camp. Alaska Power Camp coaches led by PBA legend and former Aces shooting guard Jojo Lastimosa, along with former teammates Elmer Cabahug and Roehl Gomez supervised the boot camp that included drills in four basic skills needed in the sport of basketball: shooting, driblling/ballhandling, passing, and defense.
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.
