In the name of the game
In the ballgame of life, it is important that one knows one’s way around. It is essential that one steps into the hard court armed with an effective game plan — to strategically make use of one’s offensive and defensive skills to stay on top of the game.
These, and a whole lot more, are lessons that Nokia Pilipinas RP Youth Team members Joel Tolentino, Samuel Marata and Gabriel Banal discovered on and off the court. Thanks to the great men who helped them realize their dreams and made them happen. This Father’s Day, Joel, Samuel and Gabriel pay tribute to the most valuable people in their lives — their dads Vicar Tolentino, Tata Marata and Joel Banal and their basketball coach Franz Pumaren.
‘Dad’s the MVP’
Before they became hard court hotties, these three boys were their respective dad’s apple of the eye. Before they forged a friendship with each other, they first enjoyed the company of their fathers during the many firsts in their growing-up years.
Although Vicar Tolentino admits he wasn’t able to give that much attention to his son before because he is very involved with politics, he was pleased at how his son has turned out. “I believe the most important lesson I have taught my son is the same lesson my father (former Vice President Arturo “Turing” Tolentino) taught me: take good care of your name for no amount of money in this world can replace a man’s reputation,” he discloses. Seeing his 17-year-old son (who is also called Jet because of his stunning speed in court) wear his jersey with “Pilipinas” on it was the proudest moment for the 54-year-old dad. “Basketball has contributed a great deal (in our relationship),” explains Vicar, who now tags along with his son in his games and trainings abroad. “His playing basketball has really made our family closer. I’m with him practically every day.” Discipline, Joel says, is what his dad made sure to instill in him. “He keeps on reminding me that in everything I do, I must keep my feet on the ground.”
Learning from each other is perhaps what makes the father-son bond of Tata and Samuel Marata stronger. “Not only would my son learn from me, but I would also learn some new things from him,” reveals 40-year-old Tata on his relationship with 16-year-old Samuel, UAAP Season 70 MVP. “We’re the best of friends,” gushes the young Marata. “We talk a lot. We even talk about the most random things.” Samuel described his dad, who also had a stint with the Philippine Basketball League, best by saying: “He’s not only my dad and my friend. He’s also my coach, not only in basketball but also in life.” Even when life calls a foul on this young cager, he knows for sure that his father will be there for him. “I hate it when I do something stupid because he’ll really get mad. But it’s fine, I know he loves me no matter what.”
Because his 50-year-old dad Joel is a professional coach, it doesn’t come as a surprise that 17-year-old Gabriel decided to keep the ball rolling, so to speak. “If it wasn’t for him, I may not be playing basketball right now. He motivated me to play the sport and further improve my skills in order to become the best I can be,” quips Gabriel. Coach Joel agrees and says that it is the passion for winning that he and his equally sports-minded son share. He goes on to narrate that his son led Xavier School in winning the Tiong Lian championship and was instrumental in the RP Youth Team’s recent victory in Malaysia. “Because we both love it, basketball is like the instrument to bring us closer. We play it together, we watch it together, we analyze it together. We really talk about it a lot,” he says. Gabriel adds that his dad taught him not to give up on hard things but rather face them head on and conquer whatever obstacle will come his way. Obviously, he applies this same winning formula even inside the court. Gabriel learned that it pays to listen to his coach-slash-dad.
The sixth man
To give these future basketball stars nothing but the best, multi-titled La Salle Green Archers mentor Franz Pumaren took on the role as head coach. Assisted by younger brother Dindo Pumaren, Sandy Arespacochaga and Jack Santiago, Franz led the team to its SEABA victory with his unarguable skills and committed coaching. He knows that when Joel, Samuel and Gabriel are entrusted to his care, he has to take on the responsibility of a second father to them. And this is a role the A-list coach plays with passion. “With my DLSU and RP team players, I am their adviser concerning school and personal matters,” he says almost nonchalantly. “I enjoy it immensely because no matter how big and muscular these players are, they are still kids at heart.”
Franz, being the no nonsense guy that he is, is not all about hard court action. When he comes home after a hard day’s work (mind you, he’s also a councilor in Quezon City), he is first and foremost a dad. “My sons are both into basketball. I always take them along during games. We would spend weekends watching a movie, malling or eating out,” he says. “Our children grow up fast and before we knew it, they don’t depend or need us in as much as we want them to.” To make the most out of his time with the kids, Franz makes sure he communicates with his sons as often as he can. It’s a good thing he always brings along with him his Nokia 6300. He can check on them by sending them text messages or calling them. “My teenage son can talk to me about anything under the sun and I reassure my kids that they can confide in me and their mom anytime.” With a myriad of things to attend to every day, he can easily access his e-mails and send messages with attachments through his handy phone.
Dream Team
While millions of basketball fanatics around the world await the make-or-break Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, a Philippine basketball team is slowly making waves in the international ball arena after bagging the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Junior Men’s tournament recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. By claiming the championship title, the 15-member team earned a slot in the Asian Youth Championships to be held in Teheran, Iran on Aug. 28 to Sept. 5. Should the Nokia Pilipinas RP Youth Team finish decently in the tough Asian tourney, the team will get a chance to participate in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. The last time the Philippines made it to the Olympics was in 1972.
The Nokia Pilipinas RP Youth Team is a three-year program forged through the partnership of Tao Corp., Nokia Philippines and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas-Basketball Association of the Philippines.
Time-out
Same passion for a certain sport is not enough to keep a relationship working. Both father and son realize this. “Communication is important so I can guide my son in his day to day life,” explains Tata Marata. Vicar Tolentino agrees, “I think communication should be a standard rule inside a household. Especially with today’s technology where you can communicate with a touch of a finger.” And what do these father-son tandems talk about? “Basketball!” exclaims coach Joel Banal. “My son learns a lot from our talks especially if we talk about basketball.”
Vicar and son Joel proudly share that they were Nokia users ever since — conservative dad uses Nokia 6300 and loves that with its expandable memory up to 2GB, he can store as many videos of his son during his games; and with his Nokia E90’s high speed mobile broadband connectivity, Joel can still play basketball and many more online even if he’s off-court.
A Nokia E61 user, Gabriel says that without his QWERTY smartphone, constant communication with his dad would not be possible. Coach Joel, on the other hand, is happy with his Nokia N92 as he can take pictures of his children so he won’t miss them badly when he’s abroad. Tata and Samuel Marata also rely on their Nokia phones to update each other on their everyday happenings.
Aside from these units, fathers and sons can also share their passions through the leading brand’s style phones. Nokia 6500 Classic, packed with features including a large display, fits conservative dads to a T. Their sons, who love uploading photos and videos on Flickr, can depend on the Nokia 6500 Slide to take high quality pictures and share them online with all their friends.
With the tremendous support youth cagers Joel Tolentino, Samuel Marata and Gabriel Banal receive from their respective families, winning in the many playoffs of life is “no sweat.” The three boys aim for the basket, score a shot and collect points and pointers on both basketball and life. After all, basketball is their way of life.
