THERE will be three Cebuanos sharing the floor on the grandest high school basketball showcase in town after it was announced that former University of San Carlos (USC) ace John Martin Galinato made the South squad that will battle the North team in the 5th Annual SM NBTC High School All-Star Game at the Mall of Asia Arena on March 16.
League organizers released the final list of participants on Thursday and it included Galinato, the son of former pro Abe Galinato, who now plays for Chang Kai Shek in Manila after several years of suiting up for USC’s juniors squad here in Cebu. He will join fellow Cebuanos, Jed Colonia of Ateneo de Cebu and Jancork Cabahug of the University of the Visayas on the South team.
Also on the South are Evan Agbong of Adamson University; Gian Mamuyac and Jolo Mendoza of Ateneo de Manila University; Aljun Melecio of De La Salle Zobel; Marvel Jimenez of Hope Christian High School; Samuel Abulihijle and Germy Mahinay from San Beda College; Rhayyan Amsali of National University; and Rendell Joseph Lee of Xavier School.
They will be facing off against the North team composed of Jonas Tibetan of Chiang Kai Shek College; Sherwin Concepcion of Malayan Institute of Technology; Kris Harvey Pagsanjan of Hope Christian High School; Evan Nelle of San Beda College; Justine Baltazar and John Lloyd Clemente of National University; Tyler Tio of Xavier School; Will Allen Gozum, Javier Gomez de Liaño, and Juan Gomez de Liaño of UP Integrated School, and Jethro Madrigal of La Salle Greenhills.
The All-Star game is but the cherry on top of a fierce competition that will pit 22 of the best high school teams from across the country against one another in a bid to find out which school truly is the best. They will also be joined by two foreign squads in Durham Crossover Basketball from Canada, and Trail International School from Thailand.