INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will unveil the finale of the 2009-2010 National Junior Championship at the University of San Carlos Gym in Cebu City on Feb. 15 to 20 with the hope of recruiting fresh faces for the national team.

SBP deputy executive director Bernie Atienza said schools which hurdled the regional and area qualifying rounds will dispute the title in the under-17 and under-19 divisions, age categories where the SBP is aggressively trying to come up with a talented pool of players.

Atienza said there?s a gap needed to be filled in the 17-19 age bracket the SBP hopes the NJC will address.

Far Eastern University will be the team to beat in the U-19 category with the Tamaraws joining other area champions University of Luzon (Dagupan) and University of Visayas in Group B. Ateneo de Zamboanga, University of Baguio, University of San Agustin (Iloilo) and Our Lady of Fatima University are bunched in Group A.

In the U-17 bracket, Group A is composed of Holy Child School of Davao, Iloilo Central Commercial High School, Sacred Heart College of Lucena, St. Claire College (NCR) and University of Baguio while FEU, USJR Cebu, Divine Word College-Dagupan and Camarines Sur National HS are the qualifiers in Group B.

?The NJC is part of the SBP?s comprehensive youth and grassroots program, which aims to identify talents in different age brackets involved in the program, especially those based in the provinces,? said Atienza.