The 26th season of the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) and Passerelle twin tournaments formally comes off the wraps this Sunday at the Xavier High School in San Juan.
The tournament, the most renowned annual interschool league for elementary and high school basketball players in the country, will also be held in provincial areas, including Baguio, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Lucena, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Roxas City, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga.
Executives of both Milo and the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Trainer Center (Best Center) made the announcement in the PSA Forum yesterday at Shakey’s UN Avenue, where they also launched the national finals of the Milo Little Olympics.
“We’re supporting these two events for the past decade in our effort to help develop grassroots in the Philippines, to help develop and identify future national team members, and to develop the next generation of Filipino athletes,” said Robbie de Vera, Milo sports executive.
The Milo official was joined in the same forum by Marlene Jorge and her daughter, representing the SBP-Passerelle twin tournament, and Robert Calo, the Milo Little Olympics executive director.
Calo said the National Capital Region is hosting the Little Olympics National Finals for the first time on Oct. 19 to 21, with an estimate 22,000 student-athletes expected to take part.
A total of 12 events will be disputed during the meet — now on its 23rd year — namely, athletics, badminton, chess, football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, sepak takraw and scrabble.
The NCR leg officially kicks off on Aug. 3 to 5 and Aug. 11 to 12 at the Marikina Sports Park. Luzon leg follows on Aug. 17 to 19, Visayas leg on Aug. 24 to 26 and Sept. 1 to 2, and the Mindanao leg on Sept. 7 to 9. All winners will win an all-expenses paid trip to NCR for the National Finals.
Meanwhile, the SBP-Passerelle NCR championship leg is slated on Sept. 26 in San Juan, Mindanao finals on Oct. 19 to 22 in Davao City, the Luzon championship on Nov. 2 to 5 in Pampanga, and the Visayas leg on Nov. 16 to 19 in Iloilo.