WHEN YOU HEAR about the UA&P basketball team, you also hear numerous negative annotations that are anchored to it. At my first impression, I believed these negative criticisms. When I tried out, I never saw talent that satisfied my standards. I concluded that to join this team would only be a futile decision. But my love for basketball lingered and somehow I ended up in the roster anyway. At first I had doubts about it. But my two-year tenure in this team has changed my mind. I never regretted my decision to play. There is something extraordinary about this team. Something I have not seen in any other teams: a culmination of heart, camaraderie, and talent. I can assure you, our reputation does not serve us due justice.
Behind every successful man is a great mentor. Coach Benjie Sipin, assistant coaches Tyrone Limon and Rick Reyes are the foundation for the team’s success. They persistently push the players to perform better. Always reminding us that we are never too old to learn new things. The practices are based on fundamentals and basic plays that foster teamwork.
Basketball is like photography; if you don’t focus then you only get the negatives. The team’s essence is based on hard work and focus. 5:30 AM practices are not easy unless you have a goal to reach and a purpose to uphold. We have both a purpose and a goal so we don’t complain, we are too busy getting better to complain.
Captains Vic DeLosReyes and MJ Bayang lead the team on the floor. Vic DeLosReyes is the team’s best point guard. He is a tenacious defender and willingly lays his body on the line for the game. MJ Bayang on the other hand, exemplifies dedication. He is always one of the first to arrive in practices and one of the last to leave. MJ is the team’s steadfast motivator.
JR Jocson leads the team by example. He exudes the confidence and poise of a great player. Though this forward is undersized, his footwork and veteran tactics make him as good or even better than opposing forwards.
The team’s most talented players are Ralph Egonia and Rafael Fabie. Ralph Egonia’s game is a combination of speed and distance. He can shoot three pointers like lay-ups and he drives to the basket as if there were no tomorrow. On the other hand, Rafael Fabie’s offensive arsenal is the team’s most potent weapon. His uncharacteristic quickness and range allow him to take big men off the dribble. Fabie or “Waf” as we fondly call him is the team’s Most Valuable Player. His excellence on the court is a testament to his tremendous work ethic.
This year’s team sports two freshmen standouts: Mark Chua and Jim Hizon. Both are outstanding athletes. The two are no longer strangers to the game of basketball. They carry an on-court swagger that makes them seem as if they were veterans. The rest of the cast includes players who are not afraid to win: AC Espiritu, Javie Laurel, Dinno Datu, David Castillo, Paolo Sedonio, Karl Favilla, and Francis Braza.
In their last tournament (MNCAA), the team finished among the top four. Showing some improvement from the Dragons’ previous seasons. The season had its fair share of ups and downs that made it a memorable experience.
It is easy to play for any top-notch basketball team loaded with all the benefits and gimmicks that you can think of. But here we don’t have any benefits, any scholarships, or excused absences. What we have is passion for the game of basketball. Passion is the underpinning of a successful man without it he can never excel in the things he chooses to do. Passion puts our team on the same page because we all love basketball. That is our unifying cause.
Within the team there is no longer a “me”, “him”, or “I.” There is simply an “us.” My teammates are not only my friends they have become my brothers. The camaraderie has transcended our individual differences and made us better people inside and outside the court. It gave us a friendship much more valuable than any game will ever be. Our victories were just a bonus.
I will not remember wins or loses as much as the moments in between them. The smiles and cries the team encountered. Like MJ’s exaggerated injures, Paolo’s weird humor, throwing Vic in the pool, post practice talks, Piolo Pascual look-a-like, among others. These are the moments I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Because of this team, I have learned that the game teaches us things that we can apply in life. They say it is hard to win a basketball game. If so, how much harder is it to lose one? I value our lost games more than the ones we won. Because whenever we lost, the team showed its most admirable traits. It is not until we are at the edge of defeat, that we know who we truly are. The game unveiled who we are as individuals. We are not cowards who tremble upon the sight of a favored opponent. We never gave up, we stayed together and we helped each other when we needed it the most. You need teamwork and cooperation to succeed in the court and in life.
The UA&P basketball team has a heart of a champion. They proved to be more than worthy to be called Dragons. If you’re still in doubt about that, come and challenge us. I am not promising that we will beat you, but I guarantee we will earn your respect.
Only good things are in store for the UA&P basketball team’s future. I’ll end this essay with a quote. It is dedicated to the team’s performance last season.
"Basketball doesn't build character it reveals it."
