The FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship is an under-16 basketball championship in the International Basketball Federation’s FIBA Asia zone. Started in 2009 and held bi-annually, players under 16 years old from 16 Asian countries convene in one place to participate in this regional tournament. This year, the 2013 FIBA Asia U-16 was held in Tehran, Iran from September 25 to October 4.
These tournaments are a great opportunity for basketball aspirants, as they open up many doors for the young athletes. In comparison to IASAS, which hosts 6 IASAS schools, FIBA Asia invites 16 different U16 national basketball teams in Asia, including the Philippines, Bahrain, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. Over the course of 10 days, boys under 16 from 16 different countries all convened in one place to apply their skills and learn from each other. This multinational tournament thus promotes friendly competition and exposes young athletes to greater opportunities.
Although this large-scale tournament may seem far-fetched, it is actually within close proximities with our very own ISM community. Mikel Panlilio, a current Junior at ISM, is player number 8 on the Philippine National U16 team. “This has been a once in a lifetime experience”, Mikel says, “For aspiring players, all I can say is work hard, play hard. Never give up on your dreams and when opportunities come, be sure to make the most of it.” It wouldn’t be such a great surprise to see Mikel wearing an NBA jersey in a few years time!
Michael Ray Jin, coach of the Philippine National U16 team, says that the performance of his team “has inspired the entire Filipino basketball community”, and that “the boys [were] all keyed up. They gave their own favorite plays they picked from their favorite stars and each one [was] very keen to prove they [belonged] here. And all of them are proud playing for the flag.”
Hearing how passionate the players of the Philippine team were, and more so the fact that one of them is an ISM student, definitely highlights both Bearcat and Manila pride.
Article by: Sunaina Ahuja, 12
Photographs by: Professional Photographer Milad Payami
