The National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 99 junior basketball comes off the wraps on Saturday with 10 teams, headed by reigning champion Letran seeing action at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Led by eventual MVP Andy Gemau, the Squires swept the College of St. Benilde-La Salle-Greenhills Junior Blazers in two games to claim the pontifical school’s first title in 22 seasons and 13th overall.
Letran, however, won’t be without Gemau as he had reneged on his promise to stay and opted to play for the Veritas Academy National Prep in the United States for a chance at making a US NCAA Division I school.
Letran clashes with host Jose Rizal University in one of the heavy five-game bill at 1 p.m.
But before that, the season will be officially ushered in at 1 p.m. with simple opening rites to be attended by league officials headed by NCAA Management Committee chair Paul Supan of Season 99 host JRU.
And then it will be San Beda versus San Sebastian at 4:30 p.m. and CSB-LSGH against Emilio Aguinaldo College at 6:30 p.m.
Opening up hostilities is the 9 a.m. clash between Mapua and Arellano U and the 11 a.m. showdown between University of Perpetual Help and Arellano U.
After the opener, games will be regularly played during Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays using a single-round elimination format.