Building ‘courts of inspiration’
By Jovic Yee
The Filipinos’ love for basketball is undeniable. In practically every town in the country, you’ll find at least one basketball court.
The Filipinos’ love for basketball is undeniable. In practically every town in the country, you’ll find at least one basketball court.
When Calvin Abueva signed up for the rookie draft, he listed his height as 6’4”. Turns out-after an official measurement-he actually stands just 6’1½”.
Year 2014 can’t come soon enough for football fans, but they will have to take the backseat for now as 2013 is still the year for running.
His anxiety stems from three things. Bo Perasol, the new coach of the Ateneo men’s basketball team, admits to this as school officials introduce him before a small gathering of past and present players, alumni and supporters.
The numbers have nothing to do with game statistics. Yet Kiefer Ravena sits hunched over the breakfast table, running his finger down the figures on the newspaper.
The NCAA has always been known as the “other collegiate league,” always living in the shadow of the more popular UAAP. Little do people know that the older generations still claim that the NCAA was the top collegiate league of their time.
Basketball is a game where “height is might.” The game is often dominated by people who are tall because scoring and defending the basket is easier when you’re gifted with such stature. That is the reason Blacks and Caucasians rule basketball. Unfortunately, we Filipinos are not blessed with height. It cannot be denied that we are at a disadvantage with regards to basketball. Our physique is not built for this kind of event.
Let’s admit it: The Philippines is a basketball-crazy country. No matter how football fans claim that football should be our sport due to our height disadvantage, still, most streets have a makeshift basketball court.
To get into the core of Erik Spoelstra’s being Filipino is to start right at the very beginning: There was this young kid with uncombed hair wearing a white cotton shirt and smiling into a camera. Beside him, the computer monitor was running a grainy video footage of a basketball game.
In the July 28 showdown between rivals Ateneo de Manila University and De la Salle University, students braved the long line and early hours (1 a.m.) of ticket-selling just to get good seats.
The last time I enjoyed an Ateneo-La Salle game, live, was almost a year ago. It was Aug. 28, somehow the “end” of a terrible playing season for my Green Archers, but for some reason, even though ticket availability to this legendary display of rivalry (which probably sold more than any other game in UAAP history) was iffy, I still believed I could get inside the coliseum hassle-free—just because I willed it.
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