My 14-year-old son Ryde, a boy whom I and my wife Kaye Villagomez-Losorata have exposed to basketball through training camps and tournaments for the youngsters, recently joined a basketball entourage trip to Guam to participate in a Thanksgiving Hoopfest in the known United States territory.
The games were set from Nov.18 to 27 at the University of Guam. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in Guam, the same as how it is traditionally celebrated in America.
My son donned the uniform of Pilipinas Basichoops, a team put up by a staff of basketball tacticians led by coaches Mark “Doro” Ballesteros and Richie Defensor, which played against Guam locals and other visiting teams.
“Isang karangalan ang i-represent ang Pilipinas sa Pinoy community abroad,” coach Ballesteros shared on social media.
Ryde certainly enjoyed being on the team. According to his mother who was with him as he is a minor, the boy played his heart out coming off the bench and partly by circumstance being the youngest player on the roster.
We know the impact of a one or two-year gap among teenagers, which somehow put Ryde at the far end of the bench during the games where everyone is expected to get some minutes on the court.
Still, Ryde, whose shooting touch makes him admired by some teammates, opponents, and people who get to see him play, managed to score every single game alongside a couple of rebounds and steals, and a fastbreak to the cup that not even a strong chase from the other squad could stop.
Kaye, an avid basketball fan herself, felt that the experience was priceless for the teen hoopsters.
Ryde’s team couldn’t win all the way, but the mere act of flying out of the Philippines to play basketball against foreign nationals was something to cherish especially at an age when you bring to adulthood certain impactful things that will help determine your future.
PINOY PRIDE
She said, “Pinoy pride, as ‘gasgas’ as it sometimes sounds, was very tangible among the players.
You get that feeling that the players from the other teams prepared well against the lone Philippine team and most of them even expressed that they really wanted to go up against Filipinos.
The #puso brand has trickled down to youth basketball and the boys benefited from it, wearing it like armor during the games. One player even went out of his way to shake Ryde’s hand and yung iba, nagpa-picture with the other Filipinos.”
Ryde, whose previous basketball camp experiences include stints at The Best Center, Cholo Camp training program, and MTJH (More Than Just Hoops) club which he played for in the Batang PBA last summer, messaged me in the middle of the Guam trip.
“Daddy, I’m enjoying and excited playing here. I love the basketball court. I’m so happy that I played for the Philippines.”
As parents, it is my and Kaye’s responsibility to open doors for our son, at all costs, and for a good cause, and prepare him for tougher days in attempting to reach basketball glory.
If Ryde goes on to play pro some years from now, experiences like playing in Guam will surely play a big role in keeping him encouraged and undeterred.