MANILA, Philippines?Psyched is one word that best describes these young ballers.

And who can blame them? All 14 guys who make up the Nokia RP Youth Team are in Teheran, Iran, for the Asian Youth Championships. It?s their reward for winning the SEABA Junior Men?s basketball tournament held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The team, coached by multi-titled De La Salle Green Archers? Franz Pumaren, is composed of the country?s most talented players. They come from collegiate ranks and were plucked from different regions, chosen from the National Basketball Training Center headed by former Purefoods coach Eric Altamirano.

Synergy is one word that any group has to possess?and this the team doesn?t lack. Frank Golla, a freshman in Ateneo and the team?s El Capitan, says, ?Our coming from different schools and backgrounds never became an issue. Whether you came from Manila or from the province, it didn?t matter. We immediately forged a brotherhood.?

Nokia Philippines, together with major distributor Tao Corporation, has partnered with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas-Basketball Association of the Philippines (SBP-BAP) for the three-year, P76-million program of the Philippine Junior Men?s basketball team. The organizers sent the entire squad to the Abunassar Impact Basketball Training Center to prepare?the same training center of NBA superstars as well as the RP Men?s Olympic basketball team.

?Nokia does not usually sponsor sports, but when this project was presented to us, we saw several reasons to say yes,? says William Hamilton-Whyte, General Manager of Nokia Philippines. ?In this project, you have different people coming together to achieve a common goal, one that does not bring success or recognition to just one individual but to a country.?

Should the Nokia Pilipinas Youth Team finish decently in the tough Asian tourney, they?ll get a chance to participate in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. There?s pressure to hoop it up, as the last time the country made it to the Y Olympics was in 1972.

But the guys are really more excited than worried. In the end, the young players say, it?s about exhibiting pride and integrity on and off the court.

?On the court, it?s nice, we?re all competitive,? says Sam Morata, a senior high schooler who plays guard for the team. ?And when we?re outside, we try to apply what we learn. You know, to be the best we can be.?