Adrian Steven Tan of MGC New Life Christian Academy in action at the inaugural Next Generation Basketball League. Handout/NGBL

MANILA -- Though they have yet to break through in the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL), MGC New Life Christian Academy and Xavier School are getting valuable experiences ahead of their main leagues.

The two schools have been competing with the best high school teams from the NCAA and UAAP during the inaugural season of the NGBL.

For New Lifers head coach John Sia, this is what matters most for his team -- a young squad filled with players aged 16-17.

"It's a good experience pa rin. Gusto namin ‘to, na we're being pushed to our limits while playing sa NGBL," said Sia.

MGC-NLCA is winless in three games, with all defeats coming via blowout. Yet Sia points out that their losing margin is on a downward trend while their scoring output is increasing.

"This is a good experience for my kids. Mga bata pa ‘to eh, so at least, matutulungan sila sa goals nila," he said.

Moreover, the NGBL has served as an eye-opener for Sia's team despite already being the champions of the Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA).

"Yung physical strength namin, mahina pa yung katawan ng mga players namin compared sa iba. Yung running din mismo ng system namin, marami kaming turnovers, mga passes namin very weak pa, so mostly on the small stuff. Medyo nao-overpower talaga kami," said the coach.

"But it's really good for our team na ma-experience ‘to. Gaya nga ng sinabi ko, mas maganda talaga na ma-experience na namin ‘to para makita na namin yung goals pa namin," he added. "Sana manalo ulit kami, kasi ‘di mo rin naman masabi, baka may ginagawa rin yung ibang teams."

Golden Stallions head coach Willy Wilson shares the same vision as Sia. 

Xavier School at the inaugural Next Generation Basketball League. Handout/NGBL

The former PBA player has been seeing a lot of positives from this squad, with Xavier even pushing Ateneo de Manila University to the brink of an upset as the Blue Eaglets needed a buzzer-beater to beat them, and that is exactly what Wilson anticipated when they entered the NGBL.

"We're getting what we expected. We're playing against high-level competition because obviously, these are the best high school players in the Philippines," Wilson said.

"Every game for us is a playoff game, which is, again, that's what we want, we're out for improvement."

The Golden Stallions absorbed back-to-back losses to Mapua and Perpetual Help after their slim defeat against Ateneo, but Wilson is seeing the building blocks of a positive future for his team.

"You always want to take something positive from the game. Whether you lose by 30 — you try to find glimpses, you want more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff — but still, it's gotta be a glass half-full approach with these boys," he said.

Xavier finished as third-placers in their previous campaigns at the Private Schools Athletic Development Championship (PRADA), Philippine Athletic Youth Association (PAYA), and the Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation.

Wilson is optimistic that with their NGBL experience, they can improve upon those results.

"Hopefully, we can continue to build from what we're experiencing here and bring it over there. Pero ‘di biro yung competition namin dun. It's not like we're playing a step lower," he said.

"We're playing against kids that might have only been overlooked by others. It's still a very high caliber of competition. Nothing is ever assured, so we want to bring out the best every game and show what Xavier has," he added.