SBP prepares age-group tournaments for grassroots dev’t

THREE AGE -GROUP national tournament will be launched later this year as the country’s basketball governing body, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, tries to shape the future of Philippine basketball with development at the grassroots level.

“The planned nationwide tournaments are categorized in such a way that there is a career path for our young players to look forward to on a national level,” said SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, who had met with local amateur basketball’s area heads recently to fine-tune the project.

Implementing a priority directive from SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan to give emphasis to the countryside, Barrios has announced the holding of an Under-14 3-on-3 national championship in Manila, an Under-16 national championship from Jan. 21 to 28 next year in Baguio City, and an Under-18 national championship to coincide with the Philippine National Games in April or May 2012.

The Under-16 tourney will take the place of the National Junior Championships, and the Under-18 will serve as the National Inter-Collegiate.

“The competitions have been age categorized in keeping with how FIBA categorizes its tournaments,” said Barrios, who oversaw the successful staging of the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig a few months ago.

“Under this setup, we can have tournaments that are not necessarily school-based so that we do not marginalize those not in schools. This way, we serve a bigger base of our basketball constituents.” Correspondent Jonas Panerio