High school basketball

FOR the past decade, local high school basketball activities have been my cup of tea.

I doff my hat off to the basketball athletes in their teens that play for the name of the school on their uniforms without any financial remunerations (or allowances) and other perks such as a free pair of shoes (unless there is a sponsoring school alumnus) or “unli” class excuses.

There are no “magical” scholastic record alterations that embarrassingly happen once in a while in the college ranks 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.

The only “free ride” that prominent cagers from respectable high school institutions get is non-attendance of 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 left 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 violation. Do they still practice that at the college level? Do tell me.

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 the various Chinese-Filipino high school leagues in Metro Manila for television and on print.

Need more proofs? Check out the 2nd Philippine Ching Yuen Athetic Association (PCYAA) basketball competitions at the Uno High School Gym in Tondo, Manila.

Competitions are ongoing concurrently in three different divisions – Juniors (Boys High School), Aspirants and Ladies (Girls High School) (Boys age 13 and under).

The eight schools seeing action in the tournaments are host Uno High School, Saint Jude Catholic School, Grace Christian College, Philippine Cultural College, Makati Gospel Church Christian Academy, Pace Academy, Jubilee Christian Academy and Saint Peter the Apostle School and Ladies Division guest school Immaculate Conception Academy.

Games are played every Tuesday (afternoon/night), Thursday (afternoon/night), Saturday (morning/afternoon) and Sunday (morning/afternoon). They will last until the third week of February.

Former Philippine Basketball Association player Joey Guanio is the tournament commissioner for the second straight year.

He’s always in the games. And so am I.

For more information about the league, visit the PCYAA website at chingyuenhomegrown.webs.com.