KIEFFER Alas, Cabs Cabonilas, and Mark Esperanza try to catch the last bus in the 2025 Smart-NBTC National Finals through the Wildcard Tournaments that got going yesterday at the Gameville Ball Park and CCF Center.
Alas, the top-ranked high school player in the country and the newly minted UAAP Season 87 boys basketball MVP, will spearhead Phenom Blue Fire as the La Salle Zobel star teams up with CJ Amos, Santi Romero, Matthew Jucom, and Bonn Daja.
They are favored to emerge in Pool B of the Gameville tilt which also includes the Nathan Egea-led Tiana ENT Basketball, Taguig-Pateros champion Toto Tumbs Barbers, Holy Deliverance ICS of Rizal, and Calgary Blizzard North in this tourney which is also presented by SM Supermalls and Playtime Cares.
Also part of the field are El Listo-Camarines Norte, Fil-Am Nation Select San Francisco, Elite WA, Gardner College, and Eco Green Technology in Pool A; as well as 1Marinduque, PSA KEAS New Zealand, AUBA Perth, Tigers Basketball, and Vic Manuel Basketball Club.
FEU-Diliman’sCabonilas, on the other hand, leads Eastprnt x Ympact Ballers as he engages in an early Pool A tussle against Marikina Health Forum, which is bannered by fellow UAAP Mythical Team member Esperanza of Adamson, as well as the unified BatangTiaong x Tribu x Boss I squad, Quezon City champions Arceegee Saints, and FYBA DC in the CCF chapter.
Arellano Braves is in Pool B together with PCCR Serpent Eagles, WCA Carabaos, Homegrown Australia, and Proudly PinoyFilcom Italy; while the UE Junior Warriors is in Pool C alongside Fil-Can Nation Select, Nueva Ecija D’ Generals, United Hoopers, and Mic Basketball Australia Boomers in this competition which also has MNL Kingpin, Molten, Pocari Sweat, Swish, JProject, and Foot Locker as sponsors.
Only the champions of the two Wildcard Tournaments will earn the elusive tickets to complete the 32-team cast in the National Finals which opens on March 31.
The 30 wildcard hopefuls play the group stage on Thursday and Friday, with the top two from each group as well as the two third-place teams moving on. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the two tourneys will be played on Saturday at Gameville Ball Park, with the finals set on Sunday.
