LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – About 18 teams from schools in Northern Luzon battled out in the inaugural hosting of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) for the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Regional Championship on Jan. 19-21.

Managed by Coach Eric Altamirano, NBTC is the country’s premier basketball program that provides a year-round training for high school athletes from both public and private schools.

Under this program, a basketball tournament is held wherein young talents are given an opportunity to face off against some of the country’s top players.

“First of all, we are very thankful to the governor for hosting the historic, first-ever regional championship of NBTC, and actually, everything has been easy for us,” said Altamirano.

He commended the provincial government’s vision of becoming a premier sports hub in the country through its hosting of NBTC this year.

“The governor’s vision is truly to uplift basketball development for the players in Ilocos Norte. Hopefully, by organizing events like this, we can encourage many young people and players to aspire to become national players,” said the NBTC program director.

During the final match on Jan. 21, the Yengskivel Sportswear from CAMANAVA emerged victorious against PHILCST Calasiao.

The two teams, along with Pampanga Lanterns and 1 San Rafael are qualified and secured a slot to play in the national finals at the Mall of Asia Arena from March 18-24. (JCR/MJTAB PIA Ilocos Norte)