Filipinos see basketball beyond its hook as a pulse-pounding game. For most, it offers an exciting venue for the whole family to bond. For others, the game turns into a mini-reunion among old friends and acquaintances who share a common passion.
This much was evident during the recent NCR finals of the 23rd Milo-sponsored Best Center SBP-Passerelle tournament.
A good example was the Puno clan, headed by broadcast honcho Dong Puno, whose grandson Sandro played for the winning Ateneo SBP team. With Dong at the stands were Sandro’s parents, Donnie and Anna, and Antipolo Rep. Robbie Puno with wife Chiqui Roa and their kids.
Spending family day at the ball game is also what ex-PBA cager Alvin Teng enjoyed the most. But Alvin also couldn’t help but remember his pro days as his son Jeron competed for Xavier’s Passerelle team. Why not? His contemporaries, Norman Black and Franz Pumaren, were also around rooting for their own siblings. “But our sons are luckier than us because they get scientific training early on and play in a good tournament like this,” Alvin noted.
Kids themselves appreciate what they experience and learn from the game. According to La Salle Greenhills’ Alexander Torres, it’s not only improving on his basketball skills but also about imbibing discipline and sportsmanship.
“The Milo Best SBP-Passerelle tournament is here not only to provide competition for our young basketball aspirants but also to celebrate sportsmanship, teamwork, and camaraderie,” says Best Center founder Nic Jorge
Nestle AVP and Milo sports events executive Pat Goc-Ong added, “Our partnership with the Best Center SBP-Passerelle reflects our desire to develop kids into well-rounded individuals. We also wish to foster friendship and goodwill among everybody involved — teammates, opponents, supporters, parents, and friends — which is really the very essence of sports.”