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THE
RP-Nokia Youth team will represent the country in the
Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) phase of
the Stankovic Cup, its biggest, and probably the
toughest, tournament so far since it was formed last
year by the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang
Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP).
BAP-SBP
executive director Noli Eala said Thursday the
federation will send the team of coach Franz Pumaren in
the tournament, which will be held from July 23 to 27 in
Ubonratchatani, Thailand.
The
squad, which won the Seaba Junior Championship in Kuala
Lumpur last month, will face the men’s teams of the top
basketball countries in the SEA region.
Eala
said that it will be an acid test for the team, which is
preparing for the Fiba-Asia Junior Championship in Iran
in September.
“We feel
that it will be a good tournament for the youth team. We
will see how the team will fare,” said Eala. “Then, we
will take it from there [on what will be the future of
our national team].”
The SBP
intends to form the core of the future men’s team that
will try to qualify to the 2012 London Olympics from the
RP-Nokia squad.
“The
Stankovic Cup is a good opportunity for our team. It’s
the international tournament we need and it’s a good
exposure for us,” he added.
Besides
the Stankovic Cup, Eala said that SBP and the Tao Corp.
of Julio Ay Jr., which is the other main supporter of
the RP-Nokia team, are planning to organize a
four-nation Manila Youth Invitational from August 14 to
17 as added exposure for the boys.
Eala
said that Lithuania has confirmed its participation
while Australia has also shown interest. SBP is looking
at China, Chinese Taipei or South Korea to be the fourth
participant.
Pumaren,
who is expected to miss two games with De La Salle in
the University Athletic Association of the Philippines
because of his commitment to the national squad, hopes
to bring a competitive team to the Stankovic Cup.
Pumaren
said that Matthew Wright, the six-foot-two shooting
guard from Canada who has Filipino roots, has committed
himself for the tournament in Thailand.
“He’s
just finishing his summer classes in Toronto, but he’s
committed to play for the team,” said Pumaren.
Wright
was recommended by six-foot-seven Norberto Torres, the
Most Valuable Player in the Seaba Kuala Lumpur
tournament.
The
16-year-old Wright is planning to play for a US NCAA
Division 1 school and reports in the Internet said he is
choosing between Michigan and Michigan State as his
possible destination.
Eala
said that SBP will also talk to the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) management committee about
the possible release of six-foot-six Arvin Bringas of
the San Sebastian high-school squad.
Besides
Torres, the youth team includes skipper Frank Golla,
assistant skipper Gabriel Banal, Ryan Roose Garcia, Joel
Tolentino, Mark Joel de Guzman, Ian Sangalang, Jed
Manguera, Kyle Pascual, Joseph Terso, Samuel Joseph
Marata, Jaypee de Guzman, Mark Anthony Lopez, Mark Joven
Mendoza and Philip Paredes.
The top
two finishers in the Seaba Stankovic qualifier, last
held in Segamat, Malaysia, in 2006, will advance to the
Fiba-Asia Stankovic Cup from October 9 to 17 in Kuwait. |
