The best and brightest high school teams in the Philippines and the Filipino prospects will be showcased as the 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals, presented by SM kicks off on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The annual tournament features 32 teams composed by league champions, traditional powerhouses, perennial contenders, and rising squads. The entire event will be free of admission, needing just a valid ID to enter.
There will be 17 teams representing Luzon, five from Visayas, and four from Mindanao. There will also be a record six international teams making their way to the Philippines to take part in the national high school championship sponsored by Chooks-to-Go, Darlington-Exped Socks, EPSON, Huawei, Freego, Purefoods, Gatorade, Go for Gold, SM, Molten, and presented by 5Plus and Lighthouse Events.
The field is bannered by the NU Bullpups, who look to make history as the only school to win consecutive titles in the tournament’s 12-year history. Spearheaded by Carl Tamayo, Gerry Abadiano, and Terrence Fortea, the UAAP 81 Juniors Basketball champions are poised and ready for a repeat.
Standing in the Bullpups’ way are UAAP Season 81 runner-up Ateneo, fronted by 7-foot-2 phenom Kai Sotto.
Meanwhile, FilAm Sports, led by Jalen Green, will be at the forefront of the parade.
By Green’s side are Jeron Artest, son of former NBA star Metta World Peace, as well as Eli Ramos, brother of Cal Poly Pomona wingman Dwight Ramos.
Not to mention, NCAA Season 94 Juniors Basketball champion Mapua Red Robins are also set to make a competitive run, with Finals MVP Paolo Hernandez and spitfire guard Dan Arches.
Not to be left behind as well will be NBTC-Cebu champion Southwestern University-Phinma and second-placers University of San Juan-Recoletos.
The tournament will begin with the Seeding Round on Monday, followed by the first round of eliminations the very next day.
It will be win-or-go home for each and every team, as matches in the Super 32, Supreme 16, Fantastic 8, Fearless Four, and Finals will all be knockout bouts.
The annual All-Star game featuring the nation’s best will take place on Saturday and the tournament’s culmination will be held on Sunday to determine the National Champion.
The tournament semis and finals, alongside the annual All-Star Game, will be aired live on ESPN5. All games, from the seeding round to the championship round, will also be streamed live over at tv5.espn.com.
