The SM-National Basketball Training Center (SM-NBTC), the official grassroots program of the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas, has something new up its sleeves.
The SM-NBTC is of course known for its annual high school All-Star game held every March. The best prospects from across the country gather and showcase their skills in front of scouts, coaches, and fans.
Spearheaded by coach Eric Altamirano, SM-NBTC has grown into a strong program that caters to young amateur players from the Philippines.
This year, SM-NBTC will release weekly power rankings of the best high school players in the country. Each player will be graded, debated, and analyzed to determine who is the best in the field. By the end of the weekly rankings, the top 24 players will be the participants in the All-Star game which will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Five tournaments will be taken into account in determining the placement of the players. The UAAP, CESAFI-NBTC, MMBL, FCAAF, and the recently concluded NCAA will all be considered. A team of respected sportswriters with the help of coaches, and statisticians, will make up the selection committee.
The criteria composing of league stats, team impact, team record, leadership, defense, offense, and level of competition will be the factors in deciding the ranking.
“SM-NBTC believes that these rankings will make the race to be part of the top 24 high school players more exciting while also making more of people aware of the abundance of talent that’s in hand in the high school level,” shared coach Eric Altamirano, the SM-NBTC’s program director.
Top high school players such as Ateneo’s SJ Belangel and Kai Sotto, Mapua’s Will Gozum, La Salle Greenhill’s Joel Cagulangan, San Beda’s Evan Nelle, and CJ Cansino of UST, and many others will be ranked.
The SM-NBTC Power Rankings will be released every Monday leading up to the All-Star Game.
by: Yoyo Sarmenta
