Jared Bahay aims to go out of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu with a bang when he competes in the 2024 Smart-National Basketball Training Center National Finals from 18 to 24 March.

Bahay, who already committed to Ateneo de Manila University this year, said he wants to make a fitting exit for the Magis Eagles by winning the title of the biggest and most prestigious tourney for high school players in the country.

SHS-Ateneo was eliminated in the Division 1 semifinals last year after absorbing a 90-91 double overtime loss to National University-Nazareth School at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Bahay, who was rated as the top high school prospect by the NBTC for the second consecutive season, said he was proud to see his teammate Jelomar Rota emerge as 12th in the high school ranking.

"I'm more motivated because we have a chance to redeem ourselves. We're all motivated to win this one," Bahay said on the sidelines of the NBTC press conference at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.

"I'm proud to have my teammate be part of the ranking. All of us would go all out and go hard in training. It's the result of our hard work."

Since losing to the Bullpups last year, SHS-Ateneo continued to hone its skills, clinching the 2023 Palarong Pambansa gold medal and winning the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. crown over the University of Visayas in a best-of-three championship series in which Bahay was named as finals Most Valuable Player.

Bahay also made a shocking move when he decommitted from University of the Philippines to join Ateneo in Season 87 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men's basketball tournament.

Apart from SHS-Ateneo, defending three-time titlist NUNS, UAAP champion Adamson High School, and National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four teams San Sebastian College and Mapua High School headline the competition together with 16 regional teams, two National Capital Region representatives, two wildcard entries, and seven global squads.

"We're excited to be once again back in our original format for the National Finals and this early, we're bracing for an action-packed week. The future of Philippine basketball is indeed before us," NBTC program director Eric Altamirano said.

The Magis Eagles, together with the global teams and regional semifinalists, raise the curtain on Monday for the seeding round before all 32 teams play on Tuesday in the Super 32, that will determine which division they will play in with the winners progressing to Division 1 and the losers moving to Division 2.