By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
For the second straight year, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s Jared Bahay has been named the king of Philippine high school basketball.
After leading Ateneo de Cebu to another majestic Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) season, the steady floor general was hailed the best HS hoops player by the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) on March 7, 2024.
Bahay’s dominant CESAFI outing propelled his ranks to heights after steering Ateneo de Cebu to three straight high school basketball championship titles.
Perhaps one of the most memorable career-defining moments for Bahay was during the 2023 Palarong Pambansa when he steered Cebu to the championship title after they defeated the National Capital Region (NCR) in the finals.
NCR was represented by their rival squad, the National University (NU) Bullpups while they still carry the Ateneo de Cebu school.
Despite trailing by double digits, Bahay never gave up against NCR and went unconscious in the fourth quarter of the intense game.
After initially committing to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, Bahay had a change of heart and will be suiting up for the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles in the upcoming UAAP season.
With Forthsky Padrigao and Jared Brown now out in the Blue Eagles’ lair, Bahay is expected to become Ateneo’s starting point guard.
Coming in as the country’s second-best HS player is Batang Gilas program standout Kieffer Alas from the De La Salle-Zobel.
NCAA Season 99 juniors Most Valuable Player (MVP) Amiel Acido from the University of Perpetual Help System Delta bagged third place, UST’s Doys Dungo at fourth, and Adamson’s Tebol Garcia completed the top five.
