City Hoops Philippines made a strong impression at the 2026 Under Armour Asia Basketball Championships, with all four of its teams competing in Shanghai, China, from September 27 to 29.
The City Hoops U14 squad capped the Philippine delegation’s campaign by winning its division, defeating Peking University High School, 93-64, in the championship game.
The U14 team went unbeaten throughout the tournament, opening the group phase with a 52-38 victory over YBL Thailand before beating Select China, 72-62, and routing Evo China, 71-27.
City Hoops carried that momentum into the knockout stage, overwhelming Riptide Elite China, 62-31, in the semifinals to book a spot in the championship game.
There, City Hoops took down Peking University High School, the tournament’s No. 1 team, 93-64, to secure the U14 crown.
The Chinese side featured a towering lineup, including a 6-foot-7 center, three players standing 6-foot-4, and two more at 6-foot-1. City Hoops, however, neutralized the size advantage through relentless full-court pressure and a fast-paced offensive attack.
The Philippines forced nearly 30 turnovers through its pressure defense while using transition threes and quick-hitting plays to dictate the tempo.
Co-MVPs Reign Driz and Xian Latay spearheaded the championship effort. Driz finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and four steals, while Latay added 22 points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
Liam Santos of QCCA also made a significant contribution with six points and 11 rebounds.
Other members of the championship team were Alexander Chiu of BSM, Rossher Samson, Cash Escalona, and Luke Morales of Ateneo de Manila University, Third Cruz of the University of Santo Tomas, Sean Martires of La Salle Green Hills, Nano Sotto of HSG, and Matteo Paltu-ob of FEU Diliman.
Pau Ycasiano served as head coach, assisted by Storm Riva and Ferdie Reyes.
“The boys just relied on our team culture and defensive principles,” Ycasiano said. “We were able to shackle China’s guards and prevent their bigs from dominating us in the paint.
“We played a fast-paced offense, hitting early shots to dictate the pace of the game and making it hard for the tall Chinese players to catch up. It’s the culture, principles, and system that we’ve built over the last three years that brought us this championship.”
City Hoops team manager Homer Bautista said the championship highlighted the competitiveness of Philippine grassroots basketball on the international stage.
“This shows that our grassroots teams can compete on the international stage and win with our own brand of basketball,” Bautista said.
“Through our experience playing in Japan last May and in the US last June, we were able to formulate a program that helps our players adjust to the international brand of basketball, which focuses on pace and outside shooting on offense. That was evident in the finals, as we made 12 of 24 three-point attempts, while our full-court pressure was effective on defense.”
City Hoops also fielded teams in the U12, U13, and U15 divisions, with each competing among 16 teams in their respective age groups.
The U12 squad finished third after reaching the semifinals, with the team composed largely of players from Lourdes School of Quezon City and led by Migs Robles and Josh Cruz, son of UST product Jervy Cruz.
The U13 team placed 10th, led by Rossano Sotto, son of Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, and Jayver Guinto, son of former PBA player Bradwyn Guinto.
Meanwhile, the U15 team finished eighth with a 2-3 record. The squad was led by Calix Hizon and Sandro Sotto, with Justine Buan, Manny Ventura, JM Maolas, and AJ Cana also on the roster.
City Hoops will next compete in the ABTC Winter tournament, with its U13 and U15 teams scheduled to see action from November 27 to 29 in Busan, South Korea.
