Watching over the games of the Philippine Schools Athletic Association (PSAA) is a remarkable, eye-opening experience. After all, it is exactly from these ages (11 to 18) where future generations of Filipino basketball players are molded. With close to 30 schools participating, the games are a snapshot of where Philippine basketball is headed.
First of all, the talent is incredible. In the last 20 years, there has been a palpable jump in terms of skills development. The level of sophistication is impressive, specifically among guards. The speed, determination, dribbling and passing at the high school level is where college ball was a few short years ago. Moreover, gone are the days when young bigs only played down low. Many are already preparing for a future where they are the small fry on the court.
Size, however, is still an issue. In an age where you must be at least 6’8” to play the slot, players above 6’4” are hard to come by. Smaller schools do not have the budget to recruit outside of the Philippines, and even when they have great talent, many of them are poached by UAAP and NCAA schools, who have more to offer materially.
At this level, they still celebrate the small things. A made basket. A good defensive stop. Overall effort. Boys still don’t have any envy or bitterness at this stage of the game. They cheer and clap and shout, regardless, particularly when an unexpected hero emerges from the bench. The younger coaches foster this mindset, and encourage it.
Having said that, though, there are still a handful of coaches caught up in the old-school way of doing things. These few don’t realize that they are not just coaching, but setting a culture. One or two still curse out the players or set a vindictive culture, threatening them if they do not perform well. Not all players respond to this kind of treatment. In actuality, it doesn’t separate the men from the boys, it discourages those who have a stronger self-esteem and don’t consent to being treated this way.
Coaches still teach. It was a growing problem among coaches that many did not have the patience to train their players individually or as a group. Happily, that is not as prevalent as we previously thought. Even during close games, the younger coaches still pull players aside to give them pointers and remind them of what they did in practice. It is heart-warming, and assures us that the future is being taken care of.
Also, faith is still a big part of basketball. Teams pray before and even after games, and give thanks to the Almighty for whatever the outcome brings. This ingrains a moral foundation into the players, and keeps them on the other side of doing wrong. It’s great to see that the Filipino culture of belief in a higher power is being reinforced among the youth.
Lastly, our referees operate at a very high level. Often, we are indoctrinated into believing that our game officials are not good at what they do. But remember that, even when they whistle a perfect game, half the spectators whose team lost will not be satisfied. Watching the PSAA firsthand proves that even when overworked, our refs can summon the ability to call games at a very credible level.
Catch the games on the Philippine Schools Athletic Association Facebook livestream, or courtside at St. Stephen’s Grade School Gym on Saturdays and Trinity University of Asia on Sundays.