BASKETBALL action for the new school season starts on July 4 when the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center returns to Metro Manila after a very successful series of training programs in the provinces, including venues in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Students at the Malate Catholic School get the first taste of Best Center’s brand of scientific and up-to-date basketball training which has produced many past and present cage stars, including professionals Paolo Mendoza, Joseph Yeo, TY Tang and Magnum Membrere and amateur JV Casio, it holds its Saturday sessions from July 4 for Levels 1 to 3 at 11:30 a.m.

Xavier School will also offer Introduction to Basketball sessions for Levels 1 to 3, while the Ateneo schedule was moved to July 11 for Levels 1 to 5.

On Sundays starting on July 5, the Best Center will bring its clinics to the Starmall in Alabang for Levels 1 to 3 for its 1:30 p.m. sessions.

Inquiries and enrollees are accepted at the Best Center hot lines: 411-6260 and 372-3065 to 66 or through electronic mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Meanwhile, majority of Best Center graduates will see action when the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) tournament, another brainchild of Best Center chairman and founder Nic Jorge in his effort to propagate youth basketball development, starts on July 19 at the Xavier School Sports Complex.

Jorge, also secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Philippines Inc. (Bapi) said the tournament is open to teams from both private and public schools.

Interested squads can send representatives to an organizational meeting set at 3 p.m. on June 19 at the Quezon City Sports Club. This will be the 24th year of the SBP/Passerelle, which introduced the tournament format of 5/5/5, also known as the Jorge format. 

Under this system which is being adopted now in most youth tournaments, a team is required to use five different players in each of the first three quarters.  However, any of the players may be fielded in the fourth quarter.

Forty-six teams competed last year in the NCR SBP/Passerelle cagefest.

More teams are expected to sign up this year.