Cebu: The East Asia Super League (EASL) will conduct tryouts in Cebu for the Future Champions Elite, a free youth basketball program for U15 male players built to identify and develop the most talented young hoopers in Asia.

According to Philippines News Agency, tryouts are open exclusively to players based in Cebu, with registration closing on April 9. The EASL has expressed its gratitude to Cebu City, the Cebu City Sports Commission, and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) for supporting the Future Champions Elite program.

Cebu has previously hosted EASL Future Champions camps and clinics that drew over 280 participants. This time, the Elite program offers something bigger-structured teams, professional coaching, competitive games, and a path to an international stage.

"EASL Future Champions Elite was built on a simple idea-that talent should not be limited by access," said EASL CEO Henry Kerins in a news release. "We want to find the best young players in each city, give them the resources, coaching, and the platform to develop, and then put them up against the best in the region. Cebu has a rich basketball culture and some of the most passionate young players in Asia," he added.

Tryouts will take place on April 12 across four time slots, with a total of 200 players able to participate throughout the day. To sign up, head to @EASLFutureChampions on Instagram or Facebook and hit the link in the bio. A total of 40 spots are available across four teams in Cebu. Players who make a team will be geared up with exclusive EASL Future Champions Elite and Under Armour gear and will enter an eight-week program featuring two training sessions per week and one weekend game against other Cebu teams.

At the end of eight weeks, the 10 top players chosen from the four Cebu teams earn an all-expense paid trip to Hong Kong to compete in the All-Star Tournament on July 24-26. They will play against the best talents from Hong Kong and Macau. Coaching in Cebu will be led by Coach Joel Co, a former professional and national player with experience across the PBA, MBA, SEA Games, and ABC Championship and a former Blackwater PBA team manager.

The program curriculum is built by a specialized coaching team headlined by Michael Olson, a former professional player in Japan with a coaching career spanning the Sun Rockers Shibuya, Yokohama Excellence, Taiwan Beer Leopards, a San Antonio Spurs Summer League stint, and most recently a role as head coach of the Chinese Taipei women's team.