Meet one of the young Fil-Am athletes joining this international tournament

Photo from @ladyspartansbball/Instagram

Basketball dreams are coming true for a number of young Filipina-American athletes joining the 2024 Smart-National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) and Manila Live Invitational Tournament to be held from Mar. 18 to 24.

One of the lucky basketball players taking part of the tournament under the Fil-Am Nation Select is 5-foot-six 16-year-old Czarina Powell of John A. Rowland High School.

“I am excited to be part of this experience in March 2024. This is a blessing, and to play against other ballers 8,000 miles away is an honor as a Filipino-American baller,” Powell happily shared in a post.

I am excited to be part of this experience in March 2024. This is a blessing, 🙏🏻and to play against other ballers 8,000 miles away is an honor as a Filipino-American baller 🇵🇭 🇺🇸🏀❤️. @NCSAwbb @lpuwbb pic.twitter.com/TyQqnKkwwq

— Czarina Powell (@czarina_powell) December 27, 2023

Fil-Am Nation Select discovers Fil-Am basketball athletes across the United States and acts as their bridge to Philippine basketball. Every year they form a team to send to the Philippines and Powell made it to the roster.

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Czarina Powell is a member of the Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) Women’s Basketball and is representing her school team Rowland Girls Basketball.

Hi to all!! My name is Czarina Powell, class 2025 from John A Rowland High School in Rowland Heights, California. Playing SG for the Rowland Raiders Varsity Team since freshmen. Visit my NCSA for some of my highlights. Stay safe you all!! pic.twitter.com/QeH4kaDmNE

— Czarina Powell (@czarina_powell) July 18, 2023

“My main goal is to play in the WNBA but also play for a nice college that sets up my future. I like to work hard on and off the court, whether it’s with a ball in my hand or my early morning strength and agility training. I’m a good candidate for teams because I can score multiple ways even though I’m a shooter at heart,” Czarina Powell said in her recruiting profile.

Keep your eyes peeled for the full roster announcement.