Philippine basketball legend Ronnie Magsanoc and the participating coaches of the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL) are eagerly anticipating a balanced and competitive playing field when the inaugural season kicks off on August 11.
Magsanoc will serve as the league commissioner for this new under-19 basketball competition. He feels confident that the NGBL will showcase high-octane action between the country’s top high school teams.
“I believe that the NGBL has created a competition where the top-notch schools will be able to compete against one another,” said Magsanoc.
He will oversee the league alongside San Miguel sports director and executive committee chairman Alfrancis Chua, tournament director LA Tenorio of Ginebra, program director Bonnie Tan of NorthPort, and operations manager and PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
“Our focus right now is to provide the best possible avenue for high school teams to compete. Alongside this, we emphasize value formation, discipline, obedience, and equipping them with the perspective of playing the game the right way,” added the three-time PBA champion, who is also collaborating with NGBL president Bigboy Cheng and finance head Eric Ang.
Meanwhile, teams from the UAAP, NCAA, and Filipino-Chinese schools are eager to face off as they continue preparing for their respective leagues.
They are optimistic that the NGBL’s emphasis on exposure and competitive play will enhance their upcoming campaigns.
“Every coach wants every tournament to be highly competitive,” said La Salle Greenhills head coach Renren Ritualo.
“So, the first question I asked when I was invited was, ‘Who are the teams joining?’ When I saw that the competition was strong, I decided to participate,” added the 2002 PBA Rookie of the Year.
The league is supported by URATEX, Jollibee, World Balance, Converge (official internet provider), Verleo Catering, Tanduay Athletics, Gatorade, Molten (official game ball), Team Rebel Sports Pilipinas (official league outfitter), Summit Natural Drinking Water, SWISH (official league statistics app), and RICA UPVC Aluminum Glass and Trading Corp.
The NGBL held its group draw on Monday at District 8 Manila in San Juan City, dividing the 15 participating teams into two groups.
Group A includes NU-Nazareth School, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, University of the East, Mapua University, Ateneo High School, Xavier School, La Salle Greenhills, and Jose Rizal University.
Group B consists of Far Eastern University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, San Beda-Rizal, University of Santo Tomas, MGC New Life Christian Academy, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and Arellano University.
The champion at the end of the tournament will receive P300,000. Games will be streamed live via the NGBL’s official Facebook page.
