SBP says EASL grassroots program helping uncover hidden talent

Cebu All-Stars in action during the EASL Future Champions Elite final vs Macau U15. –EASL PHOTO

HONG KONG—Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Erika Dy believes the East Asia Super League (EASL) Future Champions program is giving talented young Filipino basketball players opportunities they might not have had otherwise.

After watching the Cebu City All-Stars win the inaugural EASL Future Champions Elite title, Dy said it came as little surprise that the tournament unearthed hidden talent from Cebu.

“When [the] EASL first approached us about the Future Champions program, we said yes to it right away because we knew it would be a great platform for Filipino youth to really shine even if they aren’t playing in the major leagues,” she told reporters here on Saturday.

“Not everyone can play in the UAAP, NCAA or even CESAFI so they really looked for kids who can be given opportunities and they saw Cebu.”

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Erika Dy. –

The program has already opened doors for some of its participants.

Before the Hong Kong competition, Derek Wenceslao, Mc Dome De Asis, Kent Luther Labitad and Brix Tristan Hernando earned scholarships from the University of San Jose-Recoletos following their performances in the Future Champions Elite-Cebu tournament last month.

For Dy, those success stories reinforce the value of expanding opportunities for players who may have been overlooked.

“There’s really a lot of talent in barangays and elsewhere, they’re the ones who weren’t recruited but they’re just late bloomers. They just need more opportunities, that’s why this is a good program. You give them international exposure during a very young age and we can see their talents better.”

The SBP plans to continue supporting the EASL grassroots initiative, which is looking to expand its reach in the Philippines by adding more regional under-15 teams.

“We will continue to support them. They plan to expand in the Philippines. If not two teams in Cebu the next time, we’ve talked about having a Mindanao team from Gensan or Davao to join.”