Nokia U-16 five departs for Australian camp, caging

MANILA, Philippines - The Nokia Pilipinas U-16 Youth team left yesterday for Australia for a training camp and at the same time compete in a pocket tournament in Canberra as part of its buildup for the Fiba-Asia U-16 tournament set in Malaysia later this year.

Nokia Pilipinas U-16 coach Eric Altamirano leads the delegation that includes 14 players who will be pitted against the best of the region in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) youth basketball tournament slated in July before the Fiba-Asia youth in November.

“More than the skills training, our team needs to be ranged against different kinds of playing environment, particularly those closely resembling or even far better than the competition we are to face in Malaysia,” said Altamirano, whose team is supported by Nokia Pilipinas and TAO Corp. under the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas.

Rob Beveridge, National Intensive Training Center Program (NITCP) head coach, invited the Nokia Pilipinas U-16 team to participate in an Elite Training Camp and also to a tournament against NSW Country, NSW Metropolitan and ACT U-16 State teams that will be participating in Australia’s National U-16 Championship in July.

“I am sure you will find this camp and tournament extremely beneficial to the development and preparation for international competition. It is also a great opportunity to develop links between Australia and the Philippines,” said Beveridge, who led the Australia U-19 team to the world title in 2003.