ANTA PH has been on a roll when supporting the Philippine basketball scene with their recent programs, from supporting college basketball athletes and teams like the San Beda Red Lions and UST Growling Tigers, and even going as far as helping the professional scene, specifically the MPBL.
Then they launched two events last year that would put the spotlight on up-and-coming talents in basketball, namely the SLAM Rising Stars Classic and the Shock The Game Tournament.
High school prospects in the country were given the chance to showcase their skills in the first iteration of the SLAM Rising Stars Classic and they could once again display their prowess in its 2nd year.
ANTA PH x SLAM Rising Stars
"Of course our 2nd year, we're going to be supporting again the SLAM Rising Stars. We supported last year, the first year after the pandemic, so after a two year break, the opportunity came to us and we grabbed it," said the ANTA PH rep.
"From top to bottom, we want the high school players to be able to feel how it is in the next level. We were super fortunate with the coordination with the regional team, they provided all the products, for all the players," revealed the SLAM PH rep.
Given what happened in 2022, both ANTA and SLAM are going to provide additional opportunities as they planned to introduce the women's tournament this year.
"And moving into 2023, this is the first time we're going to have the women's. So in May 20 and 21, it's going to be a separate day and ANTA will be in full support for our women's top high school players in the country, and if there's one thing that we've separated from the competition, is the SLAM Rising Stars Classic is a showcase."
"We want all of our elite athletes at this level, to be able to experience what high performance is about," as stated by the SLAM rep.
Is 4x4 the next big thing?
But it's not just through the Rising Stars Classic where prospects can display their skills as the Shock the Game, 4-v-4 tournament will also be reaching its 2nd year.
The tournament will feature a 4-on-4, full-court setting, and teams need to make the best with only 15 minutes of play.
While 15 minutes may sound short, the fast-paced nature of the game would be a challenge even for the most seasoned vets.
"The thing with this format, it eliminates the advantage if you're playing big, it makes you slower compared to the slower team. Also this is done in a hundred Chinese cities every year. Last year was the first time it was done outside of China. We were skeptical at first...but it worked. Super exciting!"
"On a 5-on-5 usually the fifth player, nandoon siya sa corner kase kulang yung space sa floor e. But on 4-on-4, it's more open so if you think about it, it eliminated the height advantage, so it's skill, shooting, speed, and stamina," revealed the ANTA PH rep.
ANTA PH aspires to support female athletes
While basketball remains as a primary focus for ANTA, they also unveiled some of their plans for other sports.
ANTA is focused on helping female athletes by introducing an extensive line of women's shoes and apparel. They currently sponsor some of the renowned female athletes of the country namely fencer, Maxine Esteban and former UAAP track athlete and beauty queen, Katarina Rodriguez.
But besides this, they also plan to create a sustainable program for female athletes.
Meanwhile, ANTA is also planning to establish a running club sometime in May.
"Running is second priority so we're doing a running club. We're starting this initiative, so we're going to build our community of runners with scheduled runs to showcase our running products."
"Our running products is good e, they're really good. In fact, the marathon athletes have won using ANTA. So we're still trying to replicate what we did in basketball last year, to do that in running this year," said the ANTA PH rep.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph