Jared Bahay. | Sugbuanong Kodaker
TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Cebuano star point guard Jared Bahay never ceases to amaze, as the National Basketball Training Camp (NBTC) recently named him the back-to-back No. 1 ranked high school basketball player in the Philippines.
This announcement was made by the NBTC through its social media page, alongside the list of the top 25 high school players in the country.
To recall, Bahay was once of the instrumental players of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles’ stellar outing in last year’s NBTC National Finals.
Though they reached the semifinals, they bowed out of the tournament after an epic two-overtime showdown against the National University (NU) Nazareth Bullpups, led by fellow Cebuano Reinhard Jumamoy.
Due to his outstanding performance on the court, Bahay became the first non-UAAP and non-NCAA player to be ranked as the top high school player in the Philippines.
Remarkably, Bahay achieved this honor again this year, just before concluding his high school basketball career at the end of this academic year.
Ranked No. 2 behind Bahay this year is Kieffer Alas of the De La Salle Zobel, followed by Amiel Acido of the University of the Philippines at No. 3.
The No. 4 and No. 5 positions are held by Doys Dungo of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Tebol Garcia of Adamson University, respectively.
Bahay’s teammate Jelo Mar Rota also made it to the top 25, securing the No. 12 spot.
Recently, Bahay committed to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, less than a month after retracting his commitment to the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP.
He concluded his final year with the Magis Eagles last December on a high note.
As the Magis Eagles’ team captain, Bahay led them offensively to secure their second three-peat in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball title under the tutelage of Rommel Rasmo.
He also clinched the gold medal with the Magis Eagles in the Palarong Pambansa by defeating the NU Nazareth Bullpups.
RELATED STORIES
Jared Bahay tops NBTC ranking for second straight year
Jared Bahay chooses Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles