LPU’s Cleafford Dag-um in the Next Generation Basketball League. Handout/NGBL

MANILA -- For teams who failed to make it to the playoffs of the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL), the experience in the tournament is still crucial to their progress.

Lyceum, Arellano, Xavier School, MGC New Life Christian Academy, Ateneo, Jose Rizal, and La Salle Greenhills made early exits from the tournament, but they believe that their NGBL stints will be beneficial when they return to their mother leagues.

"Sobrang laking tulong ng NGBL," said Lyceum head coach Al Vergara, whose squad ended with a 3-3 record in Group B and just barely missed out on a playoff spot.

"Sabi nga namin sa mga players namin, dapat kada game dito, hindi mag-relax. Dapat i-take advantage yung magandang opportunity ng liga na 'to para pag dating sa NCAA, ma-ready tayo," he added. "Yung mga kalaban dito, talagang hindi basta basta. May UAAP, NCAA teams, mga promising na [Filipino-Chinese] teams, may mga foreign student-athletes, so yung exposure, napaka ganda."

"Talagang malaki yung naitulong ng liga na 'to sa amin sa NCAA juniors, sa mga batang player."

READ: Ziv Espinas, other sons of former PBA standouts carving own legacy in NGBL

Arellano mentor John Necesito, for his part, is also confident that the lessons his players learned in the NGBL will serve them well once they return to the NCAA.

"Malaking-malaki yung natutunan namin dito. Nakita niyo naman yung team namin, pumapalag, tapos banderang kapos. Pero nakita niyo naman yung pinakita namin against Letran, so sana magtuloy-tuloy na 'to," he said after their 100-99 win against the Squires last Saturday. 

"Marami kaming learnings dito lalo na yung sa endgame. Happy naman ako, pero 'di kami kontento dito. Continuous pa rin kaming magta-trabaho ngayong offseason, and babaunin namin yung mga lessons mula sa NGBL," he added.

Ateneo’s Ziv Espinas in the Next Generation Basketball League. Handout/NGBL

Meanwhile, Ateneo head coach Ford Arao lauds the competitive nature of the NGBL that allowed him to further build the mental toughness of his young Blue Eagles team.

"Ang dine-develop namin more than skills are yung mental aspect. Ayun yung tinuturo namin sa mga bata, so malaking bagay 'to, at malaking bagay na na-expose sila dito," he said.

For MGC New Lifers head coach John Sia, the NGBL experience was an eye-opener. "Ang biggest learning namin dito is yung strength, yung katawan ng mga boys. Nakita namin na malayo yung laro in terms of age group namin sa kanila, and nakita namin na mas malalakas talaga sila," he said.

"Diyan kami magfo-focus, magpalakas ng katawan, magpabilis, pero siyempre yung little things tulad ng mga turnovers and errors," he added.

Sia said that despite their struggles, they are eager to join the NGBL's second season -- a sentiment shared by Xavier School coach Willie Wilson.

"We just need to find glimpses, find the good stuff, but among the leagues we've joined, the NGBL is tops. They have something good going on here, so we'll be back for sure," said Wilson. 

The teams that made the NGBL playoffs are: University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, National University-Nazareth School, San Beda University, Far Eastern University-Diliman, University of the East, University of Santo Tomas, and Mapua University.

The crossover quarterfinals start on Saturday.