NBTC program head Eric Altamirano. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Coach Eric Altamirano has always been both a student and a teacher of the game. Now, he wants to do more than just learning and helping Filipino ballers inside the court.
This weekend, the Pilipinas United 3×3 League takes center stage with Altamirano as league commissioner alongside cofounder Andrew Combate.
As if he hasn’t done enough for the sport yet, the champion coach’s newest league will keep doing what he’s always done in recent years: help the development of Philippine basketball.
“It really helps the federation gain more ranking points,” Altamirano told the Inquirer.
“The 3×3 is different from the 5-on-5 when it comes to the pathway going to the Olympics. So, the 3×3 is by getting points from the players.”
The PUL 3X3 will possibly catapult the country’s women’s and men’s ball clubs to the next level.
For context, the Philippines’ men’s program is currently ranked 46th in the world while the women are ranked 18th.
Should the players in each federation score more points in the future, their rankings would boost their hopes of reaching Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.
Altamirano’s new league has the means to do just that.
The 59-year-old official has seen it all and done it all in terms of being a player and a coach.
NBTC director
Altamirano was part of University of the Philippines’ historic title win in 1986 and as a coach, he led Purefoods to the 1997 Philippine Cup title.
Naturally, a winner in the ranks of the collegiate and professional game found triumph in being a program director as well.
That program, of course, is the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC).
“In our own little way, we were able to contribute to their success. We’re not saying we take full credit, because they also played in their schools. But a platform such as the NBTC gave them that edge,” he said during the presser for the PUL 3×3.
“All eyes are on them. It gives them the opportunity to be discovered. When they see that they played in the NBTC, it becomes a stepping stone for them to study, first of all, to get an education in college. At the same time, to get to the next level of basketball.”
Established almost 16 years ago, Altamirano’s brainchild gave light to the country’s future superstars.
Notable names that came out of the NBTC program were Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Kiefer Ravena and Scottie Thompson.
Before they suited up for Gilas Pilipinas or even for their respective alma maters, that legendary ensemble played high school hoops in what’s now called the “Madness in MOA.”
Altamirano has done it all for the budding ballers of the basketball-crazed country.
Now, he wants to do the same and uplift the country’s 3×3 program to the next level, much like he did with the NBTC.
“Our ultimate goal is to level up and create a pathway or an opportunity for Filipino players.”
“Whether you’re a grassroots or whether you’re an elite player, we want to give a lot of opportunities for Filipinos to play using basketball as a platform to enhance their lives.”
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The PUL 3×3 officially opens this weekend at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City.