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To borrow a phrase from an amateur league, the future is here now.
Such characterizes the three-month old Nokia National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Developmental League or Nokia NBTC D-League for short that it opens a wellspring of hope for the country's most popular sport's millions of ardent supporters.
For the first conference, there are winners in each division like Health Solutions-Laguna (South Luzon), Pampanga Delta (Northern Luzon), Santos Petroleum (Western Visayas), Daisy Condensada-SHSJ (Cebu) and Misamis Oriental Meteors (Cagayan de Oro/Iligan).
And there are MVPs Orly Pelopero, Elmer Labistop, Gabe Branzuela, Ryusei Koga and John Manabat.
But that is only scratching at the surface.
Behind the scores, the standings and the trophies, is the foundation of a stable of players who are fundamentally-sound and ready to compete at any level, maybe even all the way to Olympics a few years from now.
"We have always been clear that this league is not your regular league, where everything starts and ends with a victory and a loss," says Nokia NBTC director and current Nokia RP Under 16 coach Eric Altamirano on the league presented by Nokia under the auspices of the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) headed by Manny Pangilinan and executive director Noli Eala.
To better appreciate the league, one should look at the practices and how the skills learned are applied in a competitive environment.
"All the teams are trained in practice under the same module to make sure that there is unified approach in developing their skills," Altamirano explains.
"Aside from the players, there is also transfer of coaching technology for the coaches for the benefit of their others teams in the provinces."
From the divisions, the league progresses to the provincial, regional and ultimately, the national championship sometime in April.
Aside from that, this initial pool of players would give leagues like the Liga Pilipinas, PBA, PBL, UAAP and NCAA, among others, a bevy of talents to choose from aside from providing players who are readily available for Philippine national teams. /NBTC Media Bureau
