Patrisha Mae Concepcion is the only woman among table officials keeping a close eye on the Final Phase of FIBA World Cup 2023.
It’s nothing big for her, however. After all, the job runs in her blood.
Patrisha, nicknamed “Trisha,” is the granddaughter of the late Joe Concepcion and the daughter of Merit and Gloria. Joe once suited up for Ateneo de Manila University during the Blue Eagles’ time in the NCAA before becoming the PBA’s official statistician until his death in 1999. Merit has been a fixture of stats teams in the UAAP, NCAA, and Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, while Gloria was one of the first female statisticians in the Philippines before her passing.
That’s why even though she’s actually in rarified air during the world meet, it’s all just part of the job for Trisha.
“Nu’ng una, intimidating, siyempre. ‘Di ko rin in-expect na mag-stats ako sa FIBA. Pero inisip ko lang, kung kaya nila, kaya ko rin,” she said after mentioning that sitting alongside men who are hard at work as well is an honor.
Unlike her grandfather and parents, though, the third-generation statistician is keeping tabs on the best players in the world—mostly—for fun. She’s actually a full-time senior analyst for Philippine Ratings Services Corp., after graduating from Ateneo with a degree in Applied Math.
“Parang stress-reliever ko ‘to kasi mahilig ako sa basketball talaga,” she said, with a smile.
While the now-27-year-old has covered leagues like the UAAP and Filoil Preseason with her dad as a “stressreliever” since she was in college, her love for basketball started from a well-early age. A loud and proud citizen of Lakers Country, aka the Philippines, she shared that Kobe Bryant is her all-time favorite.
“Numbers talaga hilig ko ever since, pero napamahal ako sa math on my own lang. Siguro, ‘yung pinaka-influence pa nina daddy is ‘yung basketball,” she said.
As the lone woman statistician in Manila, Trisha is, for sure, making her family proud —and at the same time, giving Filipinos a good name in the eyes of FIBA.
“Patrisha Concepcion’s remarkable performance as statistician in the FIBA World Cup 2023 should inspire other girls who would like to be active in basketball and follow her path,” said FIBA Asia Eligibility, Statistics, and Data Head Maarouf Mawloud.
“Statisticians’ contributions, including the participation of many female statisticians in Japan and Indonesia, have been instrumental in achieving outstanding results across all three host countries.”
Wherever she goes from here, Concepcion is certain about one thing: her family will always be behind her.
“Ang lagi lang paalala sa’kin ni daddy, enjoy lang. Gusto lang niya akong maging masaya,” she said.
