Not ‘lucky’ for now: Suerte believes everything happens for a reason

CEBU, Philippines —  Rey Anthony Suerte galvanized his status as a rising star in Philippine basketball after winning two season MVP awards and accomplishing a rare grandslam feat with the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) from 2016 to 2018.

A high-flying hardcourt slasher known for his prolific outside shooting and ball handling skills, Suerte took his tantalizing talent to the next level as a vital cog of Che’Lu Bar and Grill in the 2019 PBA D-League. The versatile 6-foot-3 wingman from Monkayo, Compostela Valley in Davao de Oro further boosted his stock with his spectacular showing in a ‘one-and-done’ deal with the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors  last year.

UE’s leading scorer, Suerte gravitated attention when he fired a career-best 31 points to power the Red Warriors to their first win in the UAAP Season 82 with a stunning 89-88 upset of the La Salle Green Archers. He eventually made it to the elite Mythical Five.

With his shining credentials as an amateur cager, Suerte was tabbed by Blackwater Elite as second pick in the Gilas Pilipinas special draft that was part of the 2019 PBA Rookie Draft last December.

Suerte, together with Isaac Go (Columbian Dyip), Matt Nieto (NLEX Road Warriors), Allyn Bulanadi (Alaska Aces), and Mike Nieto (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters), will form part of the Gilas pool for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Their PBA mother teams though will retain rights until they are released by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) from international duty.

In hindsight, the 24-year-old Suerte said making it to the pro league is a fulfillment of his childhood dream.

Unfortunately for Suerte, all his plans, likely everybody else, are put on hold for now because of the worldwide health crisis.

“I’m a bit sad with the current situation that we can’t play basketball yet because of the strict health protocols in place but we must follow the order of the government because it’s for the good of everyone,” said Suerte.“This is supposed to be year I’ve long been waiting for in my career because I finally made it to the pro league but sadly, everything is on hold for now.”

“But God has a purpose,” added Suerte.”I just hope this pandemic will end so that the people can get back to their normal way of living especially those who have less in life like us.”

If there’s one thing that can give Suerte a sense of hope and a reason to be happy about at this moment, it’s the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to allow pro sports in the country, including the PBA, to resume training under a controlled environment with stringent health and safety measures.

For the time being, Suerte keeps himself fit and in top shape by performing home workouts and conditioning exercises as instructed by Gilas Pilipinas program Director Tab Baldwin.