The best foundation for any athlete is to learn the sport at the earliest possible age. Clinics and camps are normally the way to go but nothing beats actually experiencing the game at a competitive level. This is what the Ballout Hoops Challenge aims to achieve, offering a inter-scholastic basketball tournament organized for the sole purpose of promoting and developing grassroots basketball for kids.
“Napansin lang kasi namin ‘yung 10-under kids, naiiwan. Nahihilig kasi sila sa gadgets. Sa dami kasi ng liga ngayon, like may 19-under o 16-under, nasabi ko sa sarili ko mag focus na lang ako sa 10-under. This way, mabibigyan ng chance yung kids aged 10 and below to showcase their skills at a competitive level,” said Cris Bautista, the founder of Ballout Hoops Challenge during the July 4 edition of TOPS Usapang Sports held at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila.
Ballout Hoops Challenge actually held its first tournament in March 2018 while the second season wrapped up last April 2019. For its third season, Bautista plans to focus on kids aged 10 years and below strictly from school-based teams. Serving as League Commisioner will be Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings star Lewis Alfred (LA) Tenorio, while Bambi Sevilla will act as one of the deputy commissioners of the league. The tournament is set to kick off on September 1 at the Blue Eagle Gym at the Ateneo De Manila University grounds in Quezon City.
Participating teams will be grouped in four divisions: East, West, North and South. Each division will have their own deputy commissioner.
Once a champion for each division is determined, all will play a single-round format with the sole winner being declared the Ball Out Hoops Grand Champion.
Aside from the Division Champion and Grand Champion trophy, there will also be a Perpetual trophy that will be kept by the reigning champion. If that team can win three consecutive Grand Championships, they will keep that trophy for good.
Bautista also explained how Tenorio ended up being the league commissioner, explaining how he was the perfect person to symbolize the league, pointing out how the PBA star came from reputable schools. He played for San Beda in high school and Ateneo in college.
