With the high school basketball scene reaching its closing moments, there were only a few movements in Week 6 of the Chooks-to-Go/National Basketball Training Center top 24 prospects. Well, except for one student-athlete who willed his school to two do-or-die games in the UAAP Season 80 Juniors Basketball tournament.
UAAP Season 80 Juniors Basketball Most Valuable Player CJ Cansino of the UST Tiger Cubs bounced back from a horrible second round to lift his team to the semifinals.
Against the Adamson Baby Falcons, the UST senior poured in eight of his 24 points in overtime to lift UST 73-72. Two days later, he followed it up with an 18-point, 16-rebound, and five-assist outing in an 81-80 win over defending champions FEU Baby Tamaraws.
With this string of performances, Cansino barged into the top five after falling to as low as nine in the Chooks-to-Go/NBTC 24.
SJ Belangel and Kai Sotto remained as the top two high school prospects in the country while Joel Cagulangan of La Salle Green Hills and UP-commit Will Gozum were still three and four respectively.
Down south, Beirn Laurente of the UV Baby Lancers rose to 17th after his team bested Alex Visser and the Sacred Heart Magis Eagles in the Finals of NBTC Cebu. Laurente’s teammate Joshua Yerro returned to the rankings as well.
Here is the complete rankings after Week 6:
1. SJ Belangel, ADMU (1)
2. Kai Sotto, ADMU (2)
3. Joel Cagulangan, LSGH (3)
4. Will Gozum, MU (4)
5. CJ Cansino, UST (7)
6. L-jay Gonzales, FEU (5)
7. Rhayann Amsali, NU (6)
8. Dave Ildefonso, ADMU (7)
9. Aaron Fermin, AU (9)
10. Clint Escamis, MU (10)
11. John Galinato, CKSC (11)
12. Inand Fornilos, LSGH (12)
13. Warren Bonifacio, MU (13)
14. RJ Abarrientos, FEU (14)
15. Evan Nelle, SBC (15)
16. Joem Sabandal, ADU (16)
17. Beirn Laurente, UV (20)
18. Alex Visser, SHS-Cebu (17)
19. Terrence Fortea, NU (18)
20. Raven Cortez, DSLZ (19)
21. Mac Guadana, LPU (21)
22. Joshua Yerro, UV (n/a)
23. Harvey Pagsanjan, HCHS (23)
24. Miguel Oczon, NU (n/a)
On February 20, Chooks-to-Go/NBTC 24 will go live at the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Facebook page. The night’s guest will be NBTC alumnus and current Meralco Bolt Nico Salva.
Stay tuned as the show begins at 7:00pm.
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The Chooks-to-Go/National Basketball Training Center 24 is the first-ever attempt to rank the top high school prospects in the country today.
The weekly ranking used the following criteria: league stats, impact in team, team record, leadership, defense, offense, and level of competition.
These rankings will be used to determine the 24 players who will take part in the annual SM-NBTC High School All-Star Game on March at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
