(6th of nine parts)
See this poignant image as genuine smiles with hints of loud laughter being exchanged here between mentor and ward?
I would imagine “Kume” Chino Trinidad, Sports Authority PH telling CJL about the time his Tatay Recah Trinidad asked the latter to bring in his greenhorn early 90s version for an immersion activity with his then Phillips Sardines squad in the PABL, as a sports journo, but not as a basketball player.
But the intense CJL thought otherwise. Much to the younger UP alum’s surprise, for starters CJL made him run after then Ateneo PG, Olsen Racela for a whole-court defensive drill.
If that was not enough, Alfie Manlulu came in after doing the same. Manlulu and Racela were spitfires, two-way guards who had Energizer for batteries, and the clueless, poor Chino was run ragged by both most of the two-hour session.
And as if it were not enough, Louie Alas and Choy “Truman” Estrada, mixed it up with the diminutive Trinidad for the Combat Drill. A three-man drill that involves offensive rebounding, with the man with the ball being guarded by two, as they continually do it for one minute. CJL, gave his blessing for the on-court, free-hard massage session on the future PBL Commissioner.
All of this went on without the coach’s knowledge about the true intent of Kume’s presence in their practice at the fabled Eric M. Reyes gym.
It was only after the two hours of that harrowing experience, CJL was made aware, that Chino was only there in his capacity as a sports journalist, not as an aspiring player. CJL, to this day, laughs hard about it. “Eh hindi sinabi agad ni Chino eh.”
But kudos to one of the most endearing sports journalists of our time, he proved he was tough and resilient enough to meet the challenge of facing the elite athletes he would write about, interview, and feature in his body of work in their own turf.
SEA GAMES IN CHANG MAI
Coach Joe Lipa was known for his pre-game speeches.
Go ahead and ask one of his former proteges, players, and those who spent time around him. The recently retired UP College of Human Kinetics Dean, S & C Coach Ronnie Dizer, one of his most unforgettable motivational speeches, was done before the gold medal game at the Chiang Mai SEA Games of 1995.
The scene was tense since Thais were expected to roughhouse the Philippine side and had hooligans sent to disrupt the game from the sidelines.
Coaches Joe and Ronnie went through a lot of angles where his talk would come from, and just about when Coach Joe started, he threw everything out the window.
“When I was in the corporate world, I excelled as a Medical Rep for a multinational company, they used to send me to conventions abroad. In one of those gatherings, an American counterpart approached me and asked me, where are you from Joe?”
“I said, I am from the Philippines.” Then the American condescendingly shot back, “So you’re from the country of corrupt government officials, of impoverished people, and with a hopeless political system.” Almost instantly Coach Joe intensely quipped, “My country may be what you say it is, but god damn it!!! It’s the only country I’ve got and I love the Philippines so much, I’d give up my life fighting for its honor!”
The American did the right thing to do, he left in a huff. RP Team got so fired up and once they set their sneakers on the court, they were scowling like mad dogs but played calculated like a pack of cool cats. Ka-ching! Gold medal!
(To be continued)
(Sonny “Peter” Regalado Lopez, is currently a player development coach, marketing communications consultant, and book author. He collaborated with coach Joe Lipa in publishing Basketball 101, a book that aims to coach the coaches and provide reference material for Physical Education teachers in the K to 12 curricula. The 53-year-old Lopez is a San Beda College, Manila, BSC Marketing Management graduate, who currently is working on publishing the memoirs of great coaches Joe Lipa, SJLC’s Larry Albano, and San Beda’s, late Edmundo ‘Ato’ Badolato, all in coffee table book format.)
