Madanly hopes to return to Syria

MANILA, Philippines – TNT KaTropa’s Asian import Michael Madanly of Syria said yesterday his heart bleeds every day thinking of how his hometown of Aleppo has been transformed into a battlefield with terrorists and government forces engaged in a fierce conflict for supremacy.

Madanly fled his country in 2011 and now lives in Amsterdam where his parents also sought refuge after losing their worldly possessions to war. His brother, who was once held hostage by terrorists and for whom his family paid a ransom, has settled in Los Angeles. What brought stability to Madanly’s life was basketball. Wherever Madanly plays, his wife and their baby daughter – now seven months old – join him. Someday, he said they’ll return to Syria.

“I pray for my country, for the people to be safe,” he said. “I hope to go back but not before the war is resolved. I had a huge seven-year contract to play for the Al Jalaa Aleppo club so I never thought of trying out for teams in Europe or the US. Besides, I had no connections and no agent. I was happy in Syria until the war broke out and drove my family away. Basketball has brought me to China, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon but the PBA is my favorite league. I’ve played four years in China and I find the Filipino guards to be stronger, quicker and more talented. The PBA is more physical than any league I’ve played in and I enjoy it.”

Madanly made his PBA debut with NLEX, averaging 19.7 points, last season and is now on his second tour of duty. “We fell short with NLEX,” he said. “We weren’t lucky, we had injuries. But we learned a lot from coach Boyet (Fernandez) whom I highly respect. With TNT, I’m in a situation where I don’t feel it’s work that I do because we’re like a family.”

Madanly credited TNT coach Jong Uichico for creating a winning environment. “When we play, it’s like watching a video game,” he said. “Coach Jong’s system obviously works. What makes us different from the other teams is we play at least 10 deep. Anyone can step up. It’s impossible for any team to play 100 percent for 48 minutes. There will be highs and lows. The goal is to work on consistency. We’ve developed chemistry and patience in execution. It’s a long journey to the finals but playing a deep rotation helps us to get ready. We’re keeping enough gas for the long run. Jayson (Castro) is our main man but with our deep rotation, we sometimes get five players scoring in double digits.”

Madanly, 35, was named Best Player for scoring 22 points in TNT’s 113-95 win over Meralco in Game 1 of their Governors Cup best-of-5 semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum the other night. Uichico sent in 13 players and five finished in twin figure points. It was TNT’s sixth win in a row, raising the Tropa’s overall mark to 12-1. Game 2 is set at the Big Dome tonight.

“Throughout my career, I never came off the bench until this conference but I don’t mind,” he said. “I do what I have to do to help the team. Of course, if I don’t play, I’m sad but that’s the coach’s decision. All I know is if I’m called to play, I’ll give it my 100 percent. For me, it’s all about working hard. When I was 25, I used to play like Jayson, I was a slasher. But as I got older, I developed new ways to stay competitive. That’s what I do in the offseason, I work on something new to stay in the game. Now that I’m more experienced, I’ve worked on shooting from a distance. I don’t leave practice until I hit 10 straight three-pointers.”

Madanly hesitated to name the Meralco player whom he finds the toughest to defend. “They’re all tough but after the series is over, I’ll tell you whom I consider the toughest,” he said. “Right now, it’s no comment. I’ve also been asked who my favorite player is. Back in the 1990s, there was no internet in Syria and it was difficult to watch NBA games. But sometimes, we were able to watch the finals. Michael Jordan was everyone’s favorite player. But I have many favorite players whom I learned from.”