Basketball Fundamentals : A Lost Art?

Basketball has always been a part of my life.  I cannot recall a single instance wherein I did not get the urge to play even by just hearing the ball bounce or seeing friends gearing up with fancy hoops jerseys.  Others may call it ridiculously insane to associate oneself to something this mundane, but I guess it's what we feel and do whenever we engage in something we totally dedicate ourselves to.  This is something that I totally have innate passion to pursue and be good at, if not better than your average cager.  I've never considered myself a great ball player though, but I have utmost confidence on my skills (besides, the fulfillment in self-gratification only ruins the essence of compliments)

I pride myself in being more of a two-way team player, one who's happy and content racking up assists or going for steals so that his teammates can gain the opportunity to bask in the glory of scoring points, rather than someone who focuses only on a single aspect of the game, specifically offense. Harking back to my younger days, my father used to tell me that I should be a point guard given my pint-sized frame.  He stressed the value of ball handling (otherwise known today as having "sick handles"), finding the open man, setting up the offense, issuing up assists, and being a vocal leader on the floor. However, regardless of being stereotyped for that matter, he also stressed that I must learn and take into heart the fundamentals of boxing out, an essential aspect of positioning for rebounds; as well as the timely use of crossovers and pivotal footwork to find my way to the hole.  

He's not an advocate of hoisting jumpers yet he made me practice the correct form. The biggest lesson he gave though was to “play to win”; to give it your all at all times regardless if you’re playing under the grandiloquence of the league championship, or just engaged in a prosaic pick-up game.  This is the competitive spirit that I somehow integrated to anything that I engaged at in life.   

It is in this light that I thought of the state of today's players, especially those who we knew so much about.  Basketball is a team sport the last time I checked,  yet nowadays you'll see some players hoisting more shots compared to others as if that was the only thing they were tasked to do.  Others concentrate only in pulling down rebounds, setting screens, or much worse, using up their fouls to foil whatever attempts are being made by the other team's best player. It has reached the point wherein certain players are being stereotyped to work on a couple, or with bigger disappointment, only on a single aspect of the game.

I'd be hypocritical and highly idealistic if I'll say that all five players should have proficiency in most if not all aspects of the game.  This is where the cliché "complementing one another" comes in. Others will really excel at one aspect specially in scoring points (for who doesn't want to be labeled a scorer and gain instantaneous fame along the way), or pull more rebounds given their height.  In stark contrast though, does this competence give them the excuse not to exert as much effort in getting better in other aspects?  Are scorers bound to be laced up in a stake if they box out and reach out for a rebound?  Or are centers damned for life if they issue a nice, fundamental assist? How about a max-player sacrificing his body to draw a charge, or even dive for a loose ball?

Looking at today's players, it's sad that we can only pinpoint a select few who works on both ends of the court, while giving their entire effort to succeed night in and night out.  Some of these players include the NBA’s CP3, DRose, TD, D12, old time greats like MJ, Stockton and Malone, Barkley, and even to my surprise, Kobe’s on my list(I’m literally not a big fan of this guy but I'm all praises to his work ethic and approach to the game).  For those who personally know me, you’re probably looking for LeBron’s name in it right? Well, I couldn't tarnish this list by just being a solid LBJ fan.  He's already a great player, and has the capability to be part of the list and even topbill it, but unless he shows consistency in doing so, he'll just be a sordid flash-in-the-pan, a nightly SportsCenter regular who will never receive the nod of pure basketball pundits.  On the other hand, among our locals, I can only think of one player at the moment who fits this tag, and that's Arwind Santos.

To part with, it is my radical wish that every player and player-to-be (such as my two sons) be ingrained with the right fundamentals,  and hopefully learn to exercise the burning desire not only to win games, but to continuously work on being a complete basketball player as well. I'd rather see a lot of jack-of-all-trades rather than a couple of “master-of-one” (I coined this term that’s why).  It will bring out parity in the competition, and hopefully after a long time, make the game of basketball worth watching. In its purest essence, basketball is not only a sport; it is a way of life by itself.

The RH Bill Saga: Clergical Borderlines

There comes a time when a certain issue becomes a national headline, enough for the majority to storm out of the doldrums just to belt out seemingly interesting yet seamlessly mundane thoughts. Such has been the case for controversial issues such as the fertilizer scam, broadband ZTE deal, and a plea bargain by a military general just to name a few to date.  However, these issues pale in comparison when we start dealing with the growing saga called the RH Bill.

I would defer explanation as to what it is all about for that's never my intent on this blog.  I am not a proponent nor an opponent nor am I standing in the middle.  I'm just playing the third-person role to set an insight on what seems to be a misguided outrage over a seemingly growing support for the passage of this bill.  A lot of those who oppose have taken the brunt of the "clergical populace" since according to the sanctified doctrines and practices, it is terribly unforgivable to kill an unborn child, or whatever has been involved in the process of conception.  On the other hand, those who support the bill chooses to focus on the economical side of things and parlays facts that indict lack of appropriate knowledge with sex and its related entities as the root of all things associated with poverty and impoverishment of young, human lives.

As a person in the middle, I chose not to support nor disagree with either of these battling sides.  I believe each party had the  pros and cons deliberately considered, but just made the choice to advocate a certain advantage and exonerate those items that are against their principles.  On a farther note though, I'm much more concerned with how the Catholic Church has flexed its "muscles", also known as arbitrary colonialism.  I mean, it's one thing to oppose the bill, but forcing people to support it or be deemed a devil's ally or worse be excommunicated, just doesn't cut it for me.  I am a very proud Catholic, one who lives by its teachings on how to live a good life, and one that always look into the goodness of living out your own free will and letting God be your guide, but I'm not buying the clergy's latest insinuations and actions, since for me it's just like they want to control how we live, much like the old glory days of the damned Spanish regime.

I am by no means against their teachings and truly believe that they only have our own good to think about, but we are already in the midst of the digital information age and we must cease to be casked in a box, and fear the loss of our allegiance just because we advocate a different principle.  People ought to have the right of free will, and that includes being able to support whatever cause you like as long as you are not stepping on anyone's toes.  

We ought to have our own way of raising our own family, and anyone who says and judges what we do as a failure is a complete fool.  As they say, only history can truly tell those who will be ahead of us whether what we did or believed in was right or wrong. To part with. the Church should serve as our guiding light towards living out a God-centered life,  and I'm totally all for it, but it should not play hold a narcissistic baton whipping our backs towards their own perception of what is good or bad, this one should belong to us. 

Novelty from my 4-year Old Son

It’s always a fascinating when someone so dear to you comes up with something new and mesmerizing.  Such can be the apt description to my son’s ever growing list of achievements.  No, we’re not talking here about academics and the like, but moreso of the progress he’s made in understanding simple things, and his unquenchable thirst for a deeper sense of comprehension in discerning complicated ones.

To give readers a glimpse of his brilliance, he already knows a lot about how to operate gadgets such as both our phones, his PSP, and even navigate on his own through his mom’s laptop.  He also knows how to answer politely over the phone and seek needed information (name of caller, who they’re looking for). 

Moreover, it’s his command of the values and virtues we desperately wanted him to live with that impress me.  He knows when to “apprehend”  us whenever we speak of “PG-13” expressions;  apparently knows what’s good and bad for his age technology-wise(think about parental control with his PSP minus the PC, or playing too long on his mom’s laptop); and even ultimately educating both of us (me and my wife), that after making someone older than him aware of a bully’s actions, striking back is never the best option, but talking incessantly that doing bad things to others is not cool would be.

I guess others would never grasp the feeling nor even have a remote idea what it’s like to be a proud parent, especially after seeing your son do things typical 4-year olds just can’t and won’t do.  As our family looks forward to our upcoming bundle of joy, may the incoming “Kuya” imbibe his brother/daughter with these great gifts that always makes mom and dad happy.

Belching Insights on Crossroads

Once in a while, each one of us will go through the excruciating experience of making certain hard decisions that will define how we'll go through life.  These are oftentimes affectionally termed as crossroads, or a state where two or more options are presented as viable, logical, or radical alternatives.  The catch is that we can only go through one of these roads, whereby the chance of trying out the others is depicted as a ludicrous exercise of unattainability.

Moreover, after you've gone through a certain crossroad in life, there are three things I believe we must never do; not that it entails infamy or any form of absurdity, but for the simple fact that it will bear absolute insignificance as to how you'll become better as you move forward.  These things are:

1. Look back to what happened before
    --> what for? keep in mind there's a reason they call it the past. The  keyword here is "Learn"

2. Regret the decisions you made
    --> only the ageless scribe named "history" would be good enough to ascertain whether what you did was right or wrong, and besides, there's no acceptable logarithm yet that can turn back the hands of father time . The keyword here is "Acceptance"

3. Hesitate on the next crossroad you'll face.
    --> Life is all about moving forward, and doing so involves a certain amount of uncalculated risk. Hesitation is the product of an inanimate and feeble individual perspective.  The keyword here is "Optimism"

Bottomline is, being trapped within the caverns of a forlorn past is not the best way to live our life to the fullest.  It will always be full of uncertainties and preposterous expectations, but regardless of the end results, we can't let ourselves be held captive by our petty indecisions. 

I am by no means a guru nor an expert in the aesthetics of living your life, but I've been through these crossroads more than once already, and though I bear the scars of those experiences, I claim no credit for the plethora of words splattered on this page.  I am just someone who deliberately offers inflections towards having a positive outlook in life, so the decision to apply what you've read is solely on to you...

Leadership Hindsights

They say that leaders are born and not made, and I'm one of those egotistical pundits who bawled on this philosophy for the longest time one can imagine.  It was the same guiding principle that I pride myself to be a part of.  I never had the yearning to be on a supporting role, much less let others be ahead of me when I always have the mindset that I can do better. Furthermore, they say it's a calling; something of astounding significance that we can't let go of, until I became a people manager. It's probably the first time that you might have heard of it, and likely the only one you've read about from some widespread publication such as this blog. Nonetheless, it's a position whose ideals I'm trying to embrace while moving forward for the betterment of my teammates. 

It all started when I joined my current company and set forth on a journey I thought I could sail without windy hiccups. While I bask in the narcissism of my so-called achievements as an engineer, I took the leap to be part of something bigger, something called the management team.  It's a piece of cake was what I uttered.  After all, I'm someone who lacked the cork to stomp an overwhelming confidence.What was so simple for me turned out to be something even more complex.  Running the operations was not so easy after all, and friends you call teammates apparently have bigger expectations and a wider sense of perspective when you stop a bit and reflect.    As with most people, your instinct tells you to seek help and have somebody took the burden of making you learn everything in a snap.  After all, I am a leader, and I was born with the innate ability to come through when needed.

I was unprepared to say the least to meet the most exhilarating and excruciating 4 months of my professional career.  Computing for certain metrics coupled with analyzing a few reports all seemed fundamental, only for me to hit a smack on the face for everything I did was congruently wrong.  My self-confidence hit an all-time low that not even the Great Depression could surpass.  I came to a tipping point when I wanted to call it quits and for the first time wanted to believe in all the things a lot of naysayers have said all along, that she was different, stern and mean, and all other items probably inappropriate even for mature audiences.  

I wanted to join the bandwagon amidst all the uncertainties and irrevocable tension that marred our professional relationship.  But it's really funny how life teaches you the lessons never mentioned in the four corners of any school of thought. Of all people, I found solace in the words of my wife telling me that whatever she was doing was meant for something bigger.  I was too caught in the incidents that I never saw the bigger picture, never saw that all she wanted was to make me ready when the time is ripe, to make me succumb to the pressure so that I'll learn the value of preparation and effective execution, to make me feel worthless so that I'll learn the value of humility and patience, and most of all, to endure the pain of losing, so that I'll come out swinging when the time is right.


After a couple of months, and a bagful of experiences and learning sessions, I can say that I've improved.  The aura of being cocky and confident has mellowed yet reliably undeterred.  I've managed to use what my brain was built for, not to simply think, but to understand what lies beneath the surface, what stories lurks behind the numbers, and what difference fairness brings over pragmatic equality .  I met my new friends as well namely "consistency" and "being "proactive", while sharing a good blend of coffee with my old pals "optimism" and "self-esteem".

I by no means resemble a finish product.  I still have a lot to improve and learn.  The timing has never been right but to cast my gratitude in oblivion is something I'll resent for ages.  Namedropping is not what she would likely want me to give her as a gift, but I simply wanted to let everyone reading this one, how thankful I am for what she had shared with me.  She has endured a lot for the team and is mostly misunderstood for her actions, but little did they know that her intents was a stuff of legends.

To part with, thank you may not offer much, nor will it ever quantify what I've gained from working with her. I may never be what she had envisioned me to be when she first saw that potential.  But I would have not been the leader I am today if she didn't took the time to go out of her way...