Pure high school game

FOR more than a decade, covering local high school basketball activities have been my cup of tea.

I salute the roundballers in their teens that play for the name of the school on their uniforms without any financial benefits (allowances) and other perks such as a scholarship, a free pair of shoes or even “unli” class excuses.

They are the legitimate products of the “sariling sikap” program.

There are no “magical” scholastic record alterations that embarrassingly often happen at the collegiate level to keep an athlete’s eligibility intact.

That’s because too much money is at stake in college basketball where top-tier athletes are given “allowances” that sometimes approximate the salary of a first-year player in the professional league.

I know, yes I know, that a number of prominent Metro Manila high school institutions – with strong support from their alumni association – reward their highly recruited players with tons of benefits.
Generally, however, the only “free ride” that most high school players get is exemption from their physical education (P.E.) classes.

Then there’s also the purity of the high school game. The never-say-die spirit is so imbibed in the young athletes.

Countless times, I have seen how they would dive – kamikaze style – for a loose leather that is about to sail past the hardwood railings with their teams down by 20 points and only a minute remaining in the game clock.

“No surrender, no retreat.” Those words they always carry with them like a badge of honor when they go to “war.”

Additionally, sportsmanship (without sacrificing game toughness) among high school athletes is still relevant in these times. A player often would pick up a fallen foe following a foul or a violation. Forget those who tell you that it’s a sign of weakness for a player to help out in those situations. The truth is it’s not. On the contrary, it’s a sign of sportsmanship.

During high school games, it’s still strictly a teacher-student relationship between the coaching staff and the players. Players that get scolded by the coach for a botched play or two do not sulk or bite back. They just listen attentively and then, when replaced, meekly sit down with heads bowed.

That’s what I have personally witnessed from my vantage point, having covered in more than a decade the various Chinese-Filipino high school leagues in the Metro Manila area for television and on print.

And if to see is to believe, then better check out the 4th Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) league, which resumes basketball action at the Uno High School Gym in Tondo, Manila this week.

Basketball competitions will be held in both the Boys’ Juniors Division (starting January 12) and Girls’ High School Division (beginning January 10).

Concurrently, games in women’s high school volleyball (January 15), table tennis for boys and girls in the Juniors Division (January 21) and inaugural chess tournament will be staged later this month.

The eight member schools of the PCYAA are host Grace Christian College, Uno High School, Saint Jude Catholic School, Philippine Cultural College, Makati Gospel Church Christian Academy, Pace Academy, Jubilee Christian Academy and Saint Peter the Apostle School.

For more information about the league, visit the PCYAA page on Facebook.