MANILA---Thirty collegiate players will be invited for tryouts as coach Norman Black opens camp next week for the national team set to compete in the Southeast Asian Games.

Doing double duty this year, Black aims to steer the Ateneo Blue Eagles to a fourth straight UAAP crown while training a young national team vying for the gold in the November SEA Games in Indonesia.

“We’re looking for new and young collegiate players to complete the team and we’re hoping to see if there are some new faces willing to play for the country,” Black said in the recent Collegiate Basketball Awards where he bagged the UAAP Coach of the Year.

Tryouts will start on Jan. 29, said Black, the American mentor who already called the shots for the national team that finished fourth in the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.

Black led the winners in the awards night presented by the UAAP and NCAA Press Corps and Smart last Monday at the Gateway Suites.

It will similarly be a busy year for San Beda’s Frankie Lim, the NCAA champion coach who also manages the Smart Gilas team aiming for an Olympic berth.

Lim, who bagged the NCAA Coach of the Year, vies for another perfect season after guiding the Red Lions to a historic 18-game sweep.

“Our success last season was truly perfect,” said Lim. “We hope that we could keep our winning form with some new players to help our team.”

Far Eastern University’s RR Garcia, the UAAP Most Valuable Player also named in the College Mythical Team, is expected to be among the top candidates for the SEA Games squad.

Possible invitees also include Joseph Marata of La Salle, Jeric Teng of UST, Nico Salva of Ateneo and Paul Lee of UE.

Other winners who graced the annual awards were Ateneo’s Kirk Long (Collegiate Mythical Five), Eric Salamat (Super Senior), Kiefer Ravena (Juniors Player of the Year) and San Beda’s Sudan Daniel (Collegiate Mythical Five), Borgie Hermida (Super Senior), Garvo Lanete (Pivotal Player) and Baser Amer (Juniors Player of the Year) .

Jasmine Payo, Phil. Daily Inquirer