Sports have been mostly sidelined in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s a new basketball league in town looking to showcase the skills and talents of the country’s young ballers.

Set to launch in April, Next Gen for BBM – Sara: Hoops 4 You7h is a basketball league aiming to discover and cultivate grassroots talents from all over the country.

The inaugural Next Gen for BBM – Sara: Hoops 4 You7h tournament will be held in two legs: a 21-under bracket in the National Capital Region (NCR) and a joint 25-under event in Region 6 (Bacolod) and Region 7 (Cebu).

There will be 96 teams in NCR and 60 teams apiece in Regions 6 and 7 contending for the championship.

The tournament will kick off with a Celebrity Game on April 8.

The Visayas leg will start on April 9 and 10. Playoffs for the bracket will be on April 23 (rounds 1 and 2) and April 30 (round 3), while the finals will be on May 3.

The NCR leg will open on April 20 at the Filoil Arena in San Juan. Eliminations and playoffs for the bracket will be from April 21 to 29 and May 1 at Greenhills West San Juan. The finals are slated for May 3.

According to Allen Ricardo, the Next Gen for BBM – Sara: Hoops 4 You7h overall commissioner, the league will be a great platform to highlight the talents and skills of young Filipino hoopers.

“It’s a big factor because after two years of the pandemic, they can finally showcase their talent and skills again and at the same time we want to highlight and build sportsmanship and camaraderie,” he said.

The league will launch its inaugural season in just three regions, but Ricardo said organizers are looking to make it a national league.

“We’re looking forward to touching more regions and provinces and we go national sooner,” he said.

“The future of the league is very big,” he added.