Dos in Spain

VALENCIA, Spain - Unknown to many, a 17-year old Filipino basketball player is here in the hoops capital of Spain to hone his craft away from home in the hope of becoming a better athlete, a better teammate, a better person.

Francis Adriano II, more commonly known as “Dos”, is a six-foot guard who comes from a known basketball family. His father, shooting guard Kiko Adriano, was a first-round PBA draft pick who won two championships while suiting up for the Sta. Lucia Realtors and San Miguel Beermen. Kiko also owns the distinction of having played in the Metropolitan Basketball Association, the ASEAN Basketball league and the MPBL, and lent his talents to indonesia and Brunei. Dos’s aunt was national player AA Adriano, who now coaches the Philippine beach handball team. So it only seemed natural that he would follow in their footsteps. Or did it?

“Actually, when I was a kid, I didn’t want to play basketball,” he laughs. “I told my Dad I didn’t want to dribble or do any of those things anymore. But later on, watching him and Tita AA, I became more interested in making basketball my career.”

When the opportunity came for the former FEU juniors shooting guard to train in the EuroBasket academy here, the family threw its full support behind him, with the help of a handful of generous sponsors. And as luck would have it, his mother Jo and sister Cheska overheard a Filipino couple talking in a coffee shop here. This is how they met the kind, open-hearted couple Arjhay and Elsa Mortel, who both work nights in different restaurants. The Mortels, who have been in Valencia for well over a decade, have no children of their own, took in the siblings, and formed a strong, loving bond that has made living abroad easier for all of thrm. Now, the Adriano kids don’t feel as homesick, and are able to look out for each other, as Dos trains and Cheska works remotely. Amusingly, he has survived with minimal Spanish, and a lot of hand gestures. 

“Basketball here is different,” Dos told The Star on the bus ride to the massive Valencia Club complex with 14 basketball courts. “There’s a lot more passing, much less dribbling. And you have to play defense end to end. It’s very different.”

The players come from different countries: Germany, Netherlands, the US, Italy, India and of course, Spain. They train twice a day, Monday to Friday, as weekends here are sacred. They are currently playing in their own summer tournament before all heading home. Dos is the youngest of all the trainees, and is being groomed for a leadership role during the six-month program. He is also being molded into a big point guard.

“I have to get used to more responsibility,” he admits. “Now I’m the one who brings up the ball and face pressure from the inbound. It’s a challenge I’ve accepted, because I want to play college basketball in the Philippines. Ever since, I’ve dreamed of playing for Ateneo.”

With his parents calling multiple times a day, foster parents caring for him and an older sister guiding him, and a strong spiritual foundation, Dos Adriano is destined for success. And with any luck, he’ll not only be a great basketball player, but an even better person. We wish him success.