MVP won't turn away hoop dreams

MANILA, Philippines - Speaking from the heart, SBP president Manny Pangilinan conceded the possibility of the Smart-Gilas national basketball team failing to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics but said the other day it won’t mean the end of the country’s hoop dreams.

Pangilinan, who personally supported the championship campaigns of Ateneo in the UAAP and San Beda College in the NCAA, said failure is a temporary setback and the important thing is learning from the experience to bounce back with a stronger resolve to succeed.

“If we don’t make it to London, life goes on,” said Pangilinan. “We’ll keep on trying. The world doesn’t end if we don’t qualify for London. We’ll keep dreaming. Dreams keep you going. For the most part, the journey is the exciting experience. Getting to the destination is the culmination.”

Pangilinan recalled how Ateneo recovered from losing to La Salle in the 2007-08 UAAP semifinals to winning three pennants in a row and is now looking for a fourth straight championship next season.

“Triumphs and defeats are fleeting,” said Pangilinan. “It’s not the end of the world if you lose. But how you bounce back from losing is vital. If you just forget it and rationalize the loss, you’re in trouble. If you win, you celebrate but don’t let it get into your head. In a sense, you’re only as good as your last season. You think of the coming year, the job ahead, you begin to prepare for the next challenge.”

In 2007-08, La Salle beat Ateneo, 70-69, in a playoff for the second seed in the Final Four of the UAAP senior men’s basketball championships. That gave the Archers a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. As it turned out, Ateneo defeated La Salle, 65-64, in the first game then the Archers rebounded to win, 65-60, in the second, and advanced to the finals. La Salle wound up tripping UE twice, 64-63 and 73-64, in the best-of-three finals to win the title. The Eagles recoiled to capture the next three crowns in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.

“I wasn’t happy after Ateneo lost to La Salle,” said Pangilinan. “I don’t like losing. We all went to the Church of the Gesu at Ateneo after losing. At the gathering, I didn’t want to speak at first. I’m not a good motivational speaker. But later, I thought I should speak. There’s a tendency to rationalize losing and shrug our shoulders as if to say, okay lang. I’m not that way. Of course, we should accept defeat but we shouldn’t just take it. I think we should be critical of ourselves. We should learn from our failures and make sure we don’t commit the same mistakes again.”

From the ashes of the 2007-08 debacle, Ateneo rose like a phoenix and hasn’t since looked back.

Pangilinan said critics who insist that basketball isn’t for Filipinos should rethink their position.

“At SBP, we’re just trying to do our job as best we can,” he continued. “Sometimes, our problem is we start things in a blaze but we don’t sustain the effort and support. In the workplace, we’ve got to have that drive for excellence every step of the way. It comes in everyday life. If we go to work everyday and consider it a drudgery, it will show in your performance, day in, day out. Being able to do your job efficiently requires stamina, perseverance and dedication. If you’re not doing your job, then it’s time to go. I put the same pressure on myself. If I’m not doing my job, then I should go. In life, sports or business, the same rule applies.”

Pangilinan said he’ll never turn his back on the millions of Filipinos who love the game.

“It’s the sport we love,” he said. “How can you disappoint millions of Filipinos by not supporting basketball? You don’t turn your back on a sport just because you’re short. Besides, notice the biological evolution of the Filipino player. In the ‘50s, Caloy Loyzaga was considered one of the world’s best players as a 6-3 center. Today, we’ve got players who are 6-6 and over like Greg Slaughter. It’s in the genes. The Filipino player is getting bigger. I think we should be ready for the surge. If we don’t make it to the 2012 Olympics, then we’ll try for the 2016, 2020 and so on.”

Pangilinan said losing should be a motivation to succeed.

“When any of the teams I support lose, of course, I’m affected,” he said. “But it’s not that I get sleepless nights. Like coaches and players, we should rise above losing and just deal with it. You’re bothered by losing but not to the point of despair. There will be times you lose and all I ask from my teams is the players and coaches try their best to win. You can’t win all the time. You just have to be ready for the next challenge. You accept defeat and take a positive, healthy attitude to come back and perform better. On the other hand, it’s easy to let winning get into your head. You win a championship, celebrate then prepare for the next competition. The pressure to win more championships will always be there.”

As SBP president, Pangilinan said he plays the role of an enabler.

“My job is to provide the means and resources to give our team the opportunity to achieve its goals,” he said. “It’s about building a supportive environment. My message is the national team can lean on me, on us. It’s the same approach  with Ateneo, San Beda, Talk ‘N’ Text and Meralco. I always assure my teams that I’m here for them to do well, that I’m not a fair-weather friend. But I demand excellence. Sure, it puts pressure on the coaches and players. I just don’t yak away. I realize it’s tough on my part to expect only the best of my teams because that’s how I am at work. You’ve got to perform. The same rule applies to me in my job as to them. I wouldn’t unduly pressure my coach and even think of suggesting how he does his job during a game. You’ve got to trust your coach and at the end of the season, evaluate if the team is right with the coach or not.”