Halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) has cooked up a new way to continue its quest to scour the best Filipino talent, whether here or abroad.
After its League National Finals was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, the NBTC announced it will be holding its brand new Global Games next year in various cities across the globe, whose respective champions will then participate in the Philippines' national championship for the high school ranks in a tentatively set date of March 2023.
"It has always been NBTC's aim to identify, develop, and hone the best Filipino talents both here and abroad," said NBTC program director Eric Altamirano in a virtual press conference Monday.
"Through this new program, we're hoping to provide a new platform for the next Jalen Greens to emerge. Global Games will open the door for hundreds of players overseas to showcase their talents and widen the pool for our national youth team," he added, referring to NBA second overall pick Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets.
With the new initiative, talents will have the chance to be seen up close and personal in different tournaments to be set up in the East and West coasts of the United States as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Italy-Europe, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Any player of Filipino descent 18 years old and below can join a team which gets a golden opportunity to play back home in the Philippines against the country's very best rising hoop stars.
"Imagine, before, talent could only be seen from select countries, but now, with the opening of the Global Games, hundreds of potential talented players can be identified and put on the radar," expressed Altamirano. "Our network has widened in terms of talent identification."
With this, Altamirano hopes the global tournaments can help the the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' scouting for possible players for Gilas Pilipinas Youth as well as recruiting of the country's collegiate teams.
Various young ballers who saw action in League National Finals of years past are now making waves in different parts of the world. Among them are Green, Kai Sotto of the Australian National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers, and Kihei Clark of NCAA Div. I squad Virginia Cavaliers.
Others, meanwhile, have been plucked by Filipino collegiate teams such Matthew Daves (Canada), Eli Ramos (U.S)., and Kai Balunggay (U.S.) of Ateneo and James Canlas (Canada) of San Beda.
In the U.S., the two organizers bared that they are looking to field around 80-100 teams in the twin tournaments.
"We definitely want to make sure we want to create a very valuable experience," shared coach Cris Gopez of Fil-Am Nation Select, the West Coast organizer.
"We're planning to have 12-under, 14-under, 16-under, and 18-under [divisions]. At the very least, (we have) 60 teams for now," expounded Anne Paulin, organizer in the East Coast.