Silver Like Gold

Most of my teammates with our silver medal hanging on our necks featuring #99 Ali! Photo Courtesy of: Kuya John

I remember one time, I got the most excruciating cramps in 3 years in practice and they went mocking me. We managed to laugh out of it and life continues.2013 Intramurals has adjourned. Five fulfilling days of hardwork, drama, and simply fun really paid off. The memories are just remarkable and touching. Having played for the College of Arts and Sciences Basketball Team was an HONOR - I was one of the 3 freshmen selected to play. On the court and inside our “locker room”, the bonding was overflowing despite that we only had a limited span of time to know each one of us – the after practice antics, the sweat, the bloodshed, the injuries and the tears, it’s just simply memorable.

Our Captain Ball, Junix Labrador, with blood surging on his forehead after a collision against a Commerce player. The real drama continues.
Photo Courtesy of: Kuya John

As a rookie, I've also had a share of contributions; I was the team’s public relations/communications officer – scheduled our off-campus practices, organized our long sleeves’ design, and other stuff. I didn't have much playing time but I respect the concept of SENIORITY – 8 teammates are graduating this school year. Yeah, all the job's worth.

Here are our game results (Winners in bold):

CAS 61                –              CICCT 50

CAS 74                 –             School of Law 68

CAS 77                 –             Engineering 74

CAS 76                 –             Commerce 68

CAS 84                 –             Education 42

CAS 89                –              Nursing 54

CAS 81                 –             Commerce 88

Inspite of the 81 – 88 loss, behind our silver medal reflects an array of hardwork and dedication. The Commerce is said to be a “powerhouse” team; they beat other squads by double digit margins but in our two losses against them, we only trailed by an average of 7.5 points. The final game reminded me of Team Gilas vs. Iran in the recent 2013 FIBA Asia Cup; the tiny but terrible CAS against the “mighty” Commerce (Yah, you’ll get the analogy).

Here are some statistics that justifies our work ethics:

280        Minutes of do-or-die game play/ 7 games/

77.00     Points per game – the team’s scoring average in 5 wins

57.2       Opponents’ points per game – average in 5 wins

19.8       Points – the winning margin against other teams in 5 wins.

15           Brave young men

5              Days of hardwork: Sept 16 – 20, 2013

5              Exciting wins

1              Precious Silver Medal

Junix and Brad Pontanar with their Mythical 5 and Silver Medal. All the days worth.
Photo Courtesy of: Kuya John

I would like to thank my teammates, mga ‘dol, ‘brad, ‘tol, ‘pare: ‘Chino, Sean/Burger King, Lindon, Pareng Josua, Elbert, Janus, Samson, Rosada, Kicker, Redjell, Critch, Jong-Jong and most especially to our captain ball, Junix Labrador, and Gerald “Brad” Pontanar for making us believe that we’re still number one. Our coaches, Mr. Leo Aberion and Mr. Jojit Foronda for being with us all week long and for choosing me to be part of the team. To all our supporters from the CAS and other departments for being there with us from games 1 – 7, giving all those screams, and cheers. To my Purveyor Publication family for doing a great job in posting live updates on Facebook and capturing precious moments from the different events in the campus.

#15 Simply Me
Photo Courtesy of: Kuya John

Final Insights:

We might’ve not grabbed the gold but we did our best to prove that this team is not only just a team. The spirit of BROTHERHOOD was the spark that made us winners.  I obtained a gazillion lessons from my co-players and coaches slash mentors. As a freshman, as a rookie, I still have a lot to go yet this achievement will be my stepping stone.

Junix (#8) and Sean Burger King (#2) carrying Brad (#4) after he suffered a very bad cramp in the leg. #brotherhood
Photo courtesy of: Kuya John

From the very first try out until the decisive championship game, there are probably a million opportunities to be the best you can be. No matter how little or how big that accomplishment is, every speck of triumph should be cherished and respected.

The key to every win is AGGRESSIVENESS, the essence of every defeat is HUMILITY, and the perfect recipe to happiness is CONTENTMENT.

Godspeed! Until the next Intrams!

#LabanCAS #Puso #Brotherhood