NBA players Wes Matthews and Robin Lopez in Gatorade Training Center, Manila, Philippines

Portland Trail Blazers teammates Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez, along with former NBA champion and Coach of the Year Avery Johnson, will teach the finer points of basketball at the first-ever Gatorade NBA Training Center in the Philippines, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Gatorade announced today. The Gatorade NBA Training Center is a partnership between the world’s number one sports drink, Gatorade, and the NBA, bringing together elite athletes and top instructors in the fields of basketball, fitness and conditioning, and nutrition. The Gatorade NBA Training Center will be held at the Gatorade Hoops Center at Mandaluyong City on September 11, 2014.

Lopez, Matthews and Johnson will share their training techniques with Filipino college basketball stars such as La Salle University’s Jeron Teng, Ateneo’s Von Pessumal, Far Eastern University’s Mike Tolomia, and University of Santo Tomas’ Kevin Ferrer, as well as recent draftees from the Gatorade PBA Rookie Draft including Chris Banchero, Kevin Alas, and Rodney Brondial. Johnson will also share his coaching philosophy with local professional and collegiate coaches in a special coaches session.

“I am very excited for my first visit to Manila and look forward to participating in the inaugural Gatorade NBA Training Center in the Philippines,” said Avery Johnson. “The Philippines has tremendous basketball potential, as we’ve all seen recently on the world stage, and I am eager to share my skills and knowledge with the country’s future stars.”

Johnson played16 seasons in the NBA, winning an NBA Championship in 1999 with the San Antonio Spurs. His number 6 jersey was retired by the Spurs in 2007. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2006, guiding the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals.

Matthews, a 6’5” swingman, joined the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010, and last year averaged 16.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.4 apg while starting all 82 regular season games. He is the son of former NBA player and PBA import Wes Matthews.

7’0” center Robin Lopez joined the Portland Trail Blazers before the start of the 2013-14 NBA season, averaging 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 1.7 bpg in 82 starts.

For more information about the Gatorade NBA Training Center Philippines, visit www.nba.com and follow Gatorade on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePH. For all the latest NBA news and updates, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nba_philipines).

Eli

Eli has 28 years of extensive IT sales expertise in Data, voice and network security and integrating them is his masterpiece. Photography and writing is his passion. Growing up as a kid, his father taught him to use the steel bodied Pentax and Hanimex 135mm film and single-direction flash, Polaroid cameras, and before going digital, he used mini DV tape with his Canon videocam. He now shoots with his Canon EOS 30D. Photography and blogging is a powerful mixture for him.

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