The inaugural National Basketball Championships Inter-High, a nationwide search for the best private high school boys basketball team, unfolds on 13 October in Pampanga, one of 32 provinces, cities or regions where there will each be eight teams knocking each other out for the right to represent their province in the grand finals.
Presented and organized by Jams Sports which is under Jamsap Entertainment Corporation, and with PBA legend and 2013 MVP Arwind Santos as league Commissioner, the 256-team win-or-go-home boys tourney offers a P1,000,000-prize money for the grand champion.
The NBCIH will be a platform for 14 to 19-year-olds to showcase their basketball skills and potential in front of coaches and scouts which could pave the way for athletic scholarship offers from the many colleges and universities nationwide which are always on the lookout for fresh, young, tall and promising talent.
“We are hoping the NBCIH can help young athletes to fulfill or jumpstart their dreams of earning college scholarships while pursuing their passion for the game,” said Jamsap CEO Jojo Flores at the Don Bosco Academy Auditorium in Mabalacat, Pampanga.
“Lalo na dahil kaka-champion lang ng Gilas Pilipinas sa Asian Games – first time yan in 61 years, lalong mai-i-inspire ang ating mga kabataan para pag-igihan ang paglalaro at sana makatulong tayo sa kanilang mga pangarap sa pamamagitan ng tournament na ito,” said Santos, who traces his roots to San Fernando and Lubao in Pampanga.
The eight participating private high school boys teams in Pampanga will be coming from Sta. Cruz Academy-Lubao, St. Augustine Institute of Pampanga, St. Mary’s Academy of Guagua, Guagua National College, St. Vincent Academy-Apalit, Pampanga Colleges, Don Bosco Academy and Holy Angels University, and will be battling it out at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports & Convention Center in the City of San Fernando starting at 2 p.m. on 13 October between St. Augustine Institute of Pampanga and Don Bosco Academy.
The other three knockout games are St. Vincent Academy of Apalit against Sta. Cruz Academy-Lubao at 3:30 p.m., Pampanga Colleges vs. Holy Angel University at 5 p.m. and St .Mary’s Academy-Guagua against Guagua National College at 6:30 p.m.
Winners battle the next day in the same venue starting at 2 p.m. with the right to represent Pampanga to be decided on 16 October.
After Pampanga, three days of knockout elimination games each will also be happening in 15 other areas in Luzon, eight each in the Visayas and Mindanao – the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan Valley, Isabela, Ilocos region, Pangasinan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Bacolod, Capiz, Aklan, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Surigao, Zamboanga, Davao City, Iligan and Misamis.
Participation is on a first-come-first-serve basis through the organizers to be formalized by a memorandum of agreement between the private high schools and Jamsap.
Games will be shown live courtesy of Jamsap TV via the Jamsap Entertainment app which can be downloaded on Android gadgets and very soon on IoS devices as well.