Tryouts for San Jose

Here’s an opportunity for Filipino hoopsters to play the game they love in the US.

San Jose Skyrockets coach Marc Joffe will conduct tryouts for the American Basketball Association (ABA) expansion team and he’s looking for impact players to draw the large Filipino community in the Bay Area to the gym.

According to local coordinator Ravi Chulani, the tryouts will be from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the PhilSports Arena tomorrow.

"We’ve invited pros without contracts to try their luck," said Chulani, a 28-year-old La Salle graduate whose cousin in the US is a close friend of Skyrockets owner Kazumi Hasegawa. "This is my chance to help out players looking for a place to play. There are guys out there who deserve a second chance like Joey Mente and Marvin Ortiguerra."

Chulani is such a basketball fanatic that he spends his own money to rent the Brent gym in Pasig every Tuesday night for homeless players like Rob Johnson, Nick Fasano and Kim Valenzuela to play in what he calls a pro-am league.

"When Asi (Taulava) wasn’t playing in the PBA, he played with us," said Chulani. "Mike Holper played with us, too, and we’re happy for him that he’s now with Ginebra. There are good players in the streets starving and I just want them to play. Coaches like Joel and Koy Banal and Ryan Gregorio drop by our games to check out the players occasionally. Eugene Tejada plays with us and Norman Black is a regular."

Chulani said the Skyrockets are interested to sign up as many Filipinos as available.

"So far, they’ve only got one Japanese, a 5-10 point guard, in the roster," said Chulani. "They’re open to sign up five to 10 Filipinos if they’re good enough. After Manila, they’re going to China to hold more tryouts."

Hasegawa and Joffe are arriving from the US today.

"One of the reasons why the Skyrockets organization is coming to Manila is to have the Filipino community in San Jose represented by a member or members of the team, thus creating awareness of both the ABA and the home team," explained Chulani.

"Another is that the international basketball community is aware that the Filipino basketball player is truly a world-class athlete and can excel in the highest stage of the game."

Chulani said the Skyrockets are making their debut in the ABA this season.

"The league runs for about three months starting in November," said Chulani. "I’m not sure what kind of contract will be offered Filipino players who do well in the tryouts. It could be a short-term contract or a contract for the entire season. That will depend on the negotiations."

Johnson, a Fil-Am who played for Alaska in the last PBA conference, may try out for a spot on the San Jose squad. He saw action in only nine games for the Aces and scored three points. Johnson previously suited up for Purefoods and Ginebra.

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Former national football star Mari Martinez is quietly assembling a group of sports-minded businessmen to financially support Southeast Asian (SEA) Games athletes of their choice.

"We’re not trying to compete with other sponsors," said Martinez. "We just want to do our share, no matter how small. Our idea is to get 50 friends to commit to paying an athlete P5,000 a month for three months or up to the end of the SEA Games. We won’t give the funds to any official or representative. We want to give the funds directly to the athletes."

So far, Martinez has received pledges from 15 friends in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Subic, among others. The campaign is snowballing.

"We don’t care for politics in sports," said Martinez. "That’s why we’re not coursing the funds through any NSA (National Sports Association). This is purely voluntary and our contributors want to be anonymous. The only thing we ask is for the athletes to show up once a month to meet their sponsors and get their allowance."

Martinez called his group "a Cause-Oriented Movement Morally Inspired Through Sports’ or COMMITS.

"It’s a movement for national pride through sports," he went on. "We, Filipinos, wait until the last moment to give our support and concern to national issues, whether political, economic, social or whatever and yet we expect miraculous results.

"In the case of our national sports program, public pressure to win medals mounts in the days prior to our teams leaving for international sports events. Beyond the immediate circle of national sports of our national officials and organizations, there is barely awareness or concern for the months and years of preparation that our athletes undergo. Sports aficionados do little more than watch the more popular sports (such as basketball and boxing) at events like the SEA Games. The general public, meanwhile, is quick to complain, criticize and point fingers for our athletes’ poor medal standings.

"All these are terribly demoralizing to our national athletes who struggle to represent our country with a meager budget, inadequate training and nutrition and outdated, worn-out equipment."

Martinez said his group is determined to make the short-term "Adopt an Athlete’ program work.

"We’ve told the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) through Mr. Butch Ramirez about our program," said Martinez. "The PSC gives each national athlete a small monthly allowance intended to augment their physical conditioning, nutritional and medical needs. But the reality is that amount probably goes to help support the athlete’s family instead. We are therefore seeking an additional commitment of P5,000 a month from private individuals, companies and organizations to be given to our national athletes through our ‘Adopt an Athlete’ program."

In the long-term, Martinez said his group envisions molding current and future national athletes not only into medal winners but more importantly, into men and women who embody excellence, nationalism, sound values and positive attitude towards sports.

"We hope to refocus the vision of our sports officials, agencies, athletes and the general public away from mere medal standings to excellence in sports," he said. "By harnessing support for professional training and conditioning, both physical and mental, top-of-the-line equipment, proper nutrition and the like, we aim to help develop skilled, physically and mentally-fit and highly-motivated athletes.

"The medals will follow. Because of their high visibility, national sports are potential rallying points for pride in being Filipino. Sports heroes are natural role models not only for their fellow athletes but for all Filipinos especially our youth. They can symbolize for us and for the world what our people are capable of. They can help redeem the image of the Filipino in our own eyes as well as in the international community. This is our contribution to national recovery and development."

For details on how to join Martinez’ "Adopt an Athlete" program, call his office at Tel. Nos. 752-0131 to 32. It’s not too late to jump into the SEA Games bandwagon and be a part of the action.