By Jack Biantan/PNA
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Hopes are high for the Southern Philippines College (SPC) Baby Sharks as they left Sunday to compete in the Chooks-To-Go National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) National Championships at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“We are prepared and we will try to bring home the bacon,’’ head coach Rey Dangcal said before the Cagayan de Oro-based team departed for a week-long competition which kicks off on March 18.
Dangcal said the Baby Sharks will also try to duplicate 2017 NBTC National Finals Division 2 title won by the CDO-based Assumption Montessori School (AMS) Jaguars after edging St. Judge College of Dasmarinas Cavite, 72-71, in the championship round.
He assured basketball fans of the province of Misamis Oriental that his team will “do their best” against the country’s top high school teams and six foreign squads.
The Baby Sharks are expected to rely on high leaping forward Jericho Montecalvo, who spearheaded the Baby Sharks in the NTBC Northern Mindanao championship and equally reliable Diether John Quijada, Luise Malinab and Earl Laniton.
Other teams which advanced in the NTBC national finals are Mapua University, San Beda University, National University, La Salle Green Hills, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Ateneo de Manila University, Hope Christian Academy, and Far Eastern University-Diliman from the National Capital Region.
Lyceum of the Philippines University-Cavite, University of Baguio, Laguna-University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta, Legazpi-Sto. Domingo National High School, ILocos Sur-Narvacan Central National High School, Cauayan-Isabela Colleges, Pampanga-St. Augustine Institute, Lucena-Calayan Educational Foundation, Cebu champions Southwestern University and University of San Jose Recoletos, Tagum-St. Mary’s College, Dumaguete-St. Louis of Don, Bacolod-STI-West Negros University, Iloilo-Sta. Clarita International School, Eastern Samar-Dolores National High School, Zamboanga del Sur National High School, and General Santos City-Holy Trinity College also made it in the finals along with two wild cards teams — Hope Christian High School and FEU-Fern.
Foreign teams, on the other hand, include US-FilAm Sports USA, Vancouver-Top Flight Hoops, Toronto-Durham Crossover, New Zealand-Camp David, Australia-AusPinoy, and Team Italy Europe.
