Dream come true for Bogart

For 6-5 center Angelus (Bogart) Raymundo, the chance to play for Kia Motors in the PBA is like living a dream. Raymundo, 32, is tipped to start for the Kamao when the PBA’s 40th season begins on Oct. 19 and he can’t wait to get on the court.

Raymundo’s basketball journey has been anything but smooth. He was snubbed in the 2008 PBA draft where Jay Washington was the top overall pick. There were 19 players drafted and 26 weren’t. One of the undrafted players was Mark Yee who managed to eventually break into the PBA. Two undrafted players Raymundo and Eder Saldua are now with Kia.

“Of course, I was disappointed when I wasn’t drafted,” said Raymundo in Filipino the other day. “But I pursued my dream. All I wanted to do was to play basketball. I tried out for at least four PBA teams, including Coca-Cola and Ginebra, but didn’t make it.”

Before applying for the PBA draft, Raymundo played three years for the San Beda Alabang Ravens and a season for UE in the UAAP seniors. He did the rounds of the PBL, spent three months with North Cotabato in the NBC and played for Laguna, Quezon and briefly General Santos in Liga Pilipinas.

Raymundo’s agent Charlie Dy found a job for him with the Kuala Lumpur Dragons in the ABL in 2010-11 then he moved to the Philippine Patriots under coach Glenn Capacio the next season. Raymundo never turned in big numbers but made his mark as a reliable frontliner. He averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds with the Dragons and 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds with the Patriots. In 2012-13, Capacio was hired by Globalport in the PBA and gave Raymundo his first major break. It was his third team playing for owner Mikee Romero. He was on two Harbour Centre championship teams in the PBL, suited up for the Patriots then joined the Batang Pier. The stint with Globalport, however, was short-lived and lasted only three games.

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Not giving up on his dream, Raymundo considered joining the Saigon Heat in the ABL this season and was about to sign a contract when he got a call from Capacio, now playing coach Manny Pacquiao’s chief assistant with Kia. “I never expected to play in the PBA again so this is a blessing,” said Raymundo. “My wife Nicole just delivered our second child and I wanted to stay close to home.”

Things started to fall into place when Raymundo was picked by Kia in the recent dispersal draft. Also chosen were Reil Cervantes, Mike Burtscher, Hans Thiele, Alvin Padilla, Jai Reyes, Paul Sanga, Saldua, Nic Belasco, LA Revilla, Joshua Webb and Chad Alonzo. Only Reyes and Belasco have been cut from the list. Kia’s prospective first five is made up of Raymundo, Revilla, Cervantes, Alonzo and Sanga. Rich Alvarez is the Kamao’s leader. Two days after the recent rookie draft, Kia’s rookie picks – except Pacquiao – showed up at practice.

“I met coach Manny when I played for GenSan in the Manila leg of Liga,” said Raymundo. “He’s our inspiration. I’ll never forget what he shared with us once. He told us he’s really not a good boxer, that there are so many better fighters but he made it to the top because he works the hardest, he sacrifices and he’s disciplined when it comes to training. We know that at Kia, we’re not the most talented players in the PBA but if we work hard and train like coach Manny, who knows what we can achieve? We want to show we’re a fighting team. We want to go out there and give a good fight. Our dream is to beat a team like San Mig Coffee.”

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Raymundo said he’s super excited to return to the PBA. “This is my second chance,” he said. “Now, I don’t feel pressure. With Globalport, you couldn’t make a mistake because if you did, you’ll be taken out. I know Kia needs me to play inside. Coach Glenn wants me to play physical defense, rebound, set picks for our shooters and work the pick-and-roll. I’m not expected to score big but if there’s a chance to shoot, I won’t hesitate. I can hit from the elbow, play facing the basket or back to the basket. I can post up and jump hook. If I’m defending a bigger center like Asi Taulava or Greg Slaughter, we’ll cover the mismatch and help. We’ll play team defense. Coach Glenn wants us to be efficient, not fancy. I can use my quickness as an advantage over bigger but slower guys.”

Raymundo said his father Antonio was almost signed to play in the PBA but his grandfather didn’t want him to give up school. Now, it’s his turn to make basketball a career and do what his father was prevented from doing. Raymundo lost his mother Julieta when he was only five. She died of electric shock. The youngest of four, Raymundo is the only athlete in the family. He hasn’t traced a relationship to PBA legend Kerby Raymundo although they both think they’re distantly related.

“I have two years left before finishing college,” said Raymundo. “Someday, I hope to get my degree but at the moment, my priority is to take care of my wife and our two kids Nevaeh, 8, and Nile, three months old. I’m grateful to the PBA for the opportunity to make a living out of basketball. I’m grateful to Kia for this second chance.”

Raymundo said his daughter Nevaeh’s name is Heaven spelled backwards and explained how he got his nickname Bogart. “My aunt who lives in Germany gave me the nickname Bogart when I was a kid,” he said. “Someone mentioned Bogart is a popular nickname in Germany for a monster. I was an unusually big kid so I think that’s why I was called Bogart.”