THE upcoming UAAP and NCAA high school basketball tournaments will serve as qualifiers for the 2023 SM-NBTC National Championship tentatively set for April next year.
UAAP, NCAA juniors tourneys to serve as NBTC qualifiers
The winners of the upcoming UAAP Season 85 and NCAA Season 98 juniors basketball wars will get an automatic berth for the 13th season of the national youth tournament.
"Another good development for the healthy return of grassroots basketball. After our successful Global Games, it’s the turn of our Local Qualifying Tournaments (LQTs),” said NBTC program director Eric Altamirano.
National University-Nazareth School and Ateneo of the UAAP and Mapua and La Salle Greenhills of the NCAA represented their respective leagues in the last staging of the NBTC league in 2019.
The Bullpups, then bannered by Carl Tamayo and Terrence Fortea, reigned supreme in that tournament, becoming the first back-to-back NBTC champion.
Other schools which qualified through the local qualifiers were Far Eastern University (Manila), San Beda (Rizal), and Lyceum (Cavite).
Both the UAAP and NCAA high school tilts are set to commence on January next year.
Other local qualifying tournaments are already underway, with the Central Luzon LQT ongoing at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Tourneys for Baguio, Cavite, Laguna, Antipolo, Quezon, Bicol, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Kidapawan, and the National Capital Religion, to be hosted by CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Marikina, Navotas, Valenzuela area), will follow suit.
"After two years, let the games begin again,” said Altamirano.
Seven international teams from six countries have already qualified for the week-long event at Mall of Asia Arena at the conclusion of the NBTC Global Games.
PBA Manitoba and Toronto (Canada), Team United (USA), Rome Elite (Italy-Europe), Crusaders (Australia), Pinoy Mavs (New Zealand), and Patriots Dubai (Middle East) have all booked their tickets for the tournament.
"This is another step forward in our efforts to go back to grassroots basketball for all Filipinos all over the world," added Altamirano, with the 13th season no longer confined to school-based squads and will now be open to club teams. All who wish to play must present proof of age (they shouldn't be born before January 1, 2004) and nationality (they should have Filipino lineage).
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