The National University Nazareth School (NUNS) were named the champions of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Philippines Qualifiers presented by Gatorade after defeating La Salle College Antipolo (LSCA) and University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in the girls’ and boys’ finals, respectively, which were held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday, May 10.
On the final day of the Philippines Qualifiers, the girls’ division finals started with the standouts of LSCA Voyagers and NUNS Lady Bullpups carrying the scoring load. After a 5-0 start by the Lady Bullpups, Voyagers guards Rhaynha Roflo and Krizzy Eustaquio pushed their pace to tie the game at nine points apiece in the first quarter, which marked the closest margin before the NUNS went on a 22-0 run to cruise to a 107-49 victory. Center Zuzzane Singson was named the Gatorade Girls MVP after recording 16 points and 18 rebounds in the finals. In the boys’ division, the rematch between the NUNS Bullpups and the UST Tiger Cubs witnessed Bullpups center Moussa Diakite dominate the interior to help establish a 19-point lead by halftime, which the NUNS maintained through the final buzzer to earn a 101-75 win. Basketball Without Borders Asia alumnus Joaquin Ludovice kept UST afloat with 26 points but was outpaced by the NUNS duo of Gatorade Boys MVP Shaun Lucido and Rob Celiz who combined for 49 points.
The NUNS Bullpups and Lady Bullpups will participate in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, the league’s first regional high-school basketball tournament, which will feature boys’ and girls’ teams from 11 countries and territories across Asia-Pacific competing in Singapore from June 25-29 as part of a multi day immersive basketball and entertainment festival.
San Antonio Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan engaged with fans and watched the final games of the Philippines Qualifiers, even joining Boom Gonzales and Isaac Go on Cignal’s broadcast panel during the boys’ finals. Headlining the performances was P-pop star FELIP who performed hit songs “ROCKSTA” and “envy” to the delight of the fans.
Earlier in the day, Natalia Andre from NBA Asia’s basketball operations department conducted an NBA Cares clinic for 40 boys and girls from Childhope Philippines, a non-governmental organization dedicated to helping street children, which featured a series of fun games and basketball drills on shooting, dribbling, and passing.
As the presenting partner of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Philippines Qualifiers, Gatorade kept the players and coaches hydrated throughout the tournament. Energen Champion and vivo also served as official partners, while Cignal, the event’s official broadcaster, aired the boys’ and girls’ finals on One Sports, NBA TV Philippines, and Pilipinas Live.
For all the latest developments around the NBA and the Philippines Qualifiers, fans in the Philippines can visit NBAcom, download the NBA App, and follow the NBA on Facebook, TikTok and X. For more information on the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, visit NBA.com/RisingStarsInvitational and follow NBA Rising Stars Invitational on Instagram for the latest news and updates about the event.
Follow Gatorade Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube for the latest products, news and updates on their initiatives around the Philippines Qualifiers.
Quotes:
Camilla Escoto, NUNS Lady Bullpups head coach
“The Rising Stars Invitational is a good first step, especially for girls’ basketball. It’s another tournament for teams to look forward to. Some of the girls get demotivated by not having enough tournaments to prepare and practice for, so I’m very thankful for the NBA and NBA Philippines for doing this.”
Zuzzane Singson, NUNS Lady Bullpups center and Gatorade Girls MVP
“Sobrang saya namin dahil pati yung NUNS boys’ [team] ay makakasama namin sa Singapore. Sobrang saya din namin, lalo na kaming mga bago sa NUNS, dahil first time namin makakapunta sa ibang bansa.”
(We’re thrilled because we’ll also have the NUNS boys’ [team] along with us in Singapore. We’re also ecstatic, especially us new NUNS players, since it will be our first time to go to another country.)
Kevin de Castro, NUNS Bullpups head coach
“Sabi ko sa kanila na ito yung once-in-a-lifetime opportunity na i-represent ang school namin sa Singapore. Alam naman nating lahat na dream ng lahat ng tao, player o coach, me personally, dream ko makapag-coach internationally. So it’s a privilege and an honor.”
(I told them that this is their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent our school in Singapore. We all know that it’s everyone’s dream, player or coach, me personally, it’s my dream to be able to coach internationally. So it’s a privilege and an honor.)
Shaun Lucido, NUNS Bullpups guard and Gatorade Boys’ MVP
“Sobrang saya namin dahil ibang bansa na ang pupuntahan namin. Sobrang laki ng makukuhang experience namin na maglaro sa Singapore.”
(We’re very happy since we’re going to a different country. The experience we’ll get by playing in Singapore will be huge.) (PR)
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