"Goal ko na maging champion ng slamdunk contest sa MPBL at makatulong sa team ko para maging National Champion."
Watch out! the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) may soon have a new Slamdunk champion. Garexx Puerto, a high-leaping forward from Pagadian City, is setting his sight on the Slamdunk crown while staying focused on helping his new team capture the National Championship Trophy.
While he made a name in the CeSAFI as an athletic dunker, the 6'3 forward definitely wants to prove that he is more than just dunks. Unfortunately, he was not yet given the break he needed as he was barely used by the Cebu City Sharks during his rookie year in the MPBL, the fastest growing basketball league in the country.
Looking for a team where he can hone his skills while contributing at the same time, Garexx Puerto tried out for the Caloocan Supremos who eventually signed him. His debut with his new team was derailed, however, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the MPBL to cancel its 2020-2021 season.
Be that as it may, Garexx Puerto is optimistic that he will soon return to the hard court. But for now, he needs to stay in shape and healthy so he worked out during quarantine by doing some conditioning exercises and routine.
"Ngayong naka quarantine kami, nag self practice kami. Core at body work out. Konting papawis para hindi mawala yung conditioning namin, said Garexx Puerto in a chat interview with Ligang Pinoy."
He is currently spending his time at his hometown where his basketball journey started. Unknown to most of us, the 27-year old forward was a chess player in his high school days at Pagadian City. Realizing that he was gifted with height, he soon ventured into basketball at the age of 17 which is a bit late but it didn't really matter.
"High school ako chess player po ako. Noong pa-4th year ako, sumali ako sa larangan ng baskebtall kasi gusto ko gamitin yung height ko. Wala po varsity sa high school noong time na yun kasi wala pong varsity sa amin, mga meet meet lang kung saan nakalaro ako hanggang regional meet. Pero hindi ako magaling noong time na yun kasi bago lang po ako natuto maglaro ng basketball, explained Garexx Puerto."
After graduating from Pagadian City National Comprehensive High School in 2010, he enrolled at Southern Mindanao College where he studied from 2011 to 2013. He was later recruited to join the University of Cebu where he blossomed into an all around player in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball league from 2013 to 2017.
In 2015, he was selected as an all-star Mythical Five (5). He was again included as a Mythical Five (5) member in 2016 and 2017 seasons. On top of that, he was the undisputed CESAFI Slamdunk king in the 2016 all-star game.
It was truly a memorable collegiate basketball career for Garexx Puerto in the CESAFI. Although he failed to win any championship trophy with the University of Cebu, he was thankful to help his team reach the 2017 CESAFI Finals against the University of the Visayas.
"Ang pinaka memorable moment ko noong college ay noong 2017. Natalo namin ang USJR ng dalawang beses sa semi-finals. Number 2 yung USJR at number 3 naman kami kaya twice-to-beat ang USJR. Natalo namin sila 2 beses at ako yung na best player kaya naka fight kami ng Finals sa Cesafi noong 2017 kalaban namin ang UV, recalls Garexx Puerto."
It didn't take long before Garexx Puerto was spotted on the radar of big universities in Metro Manila. Given his impressive performance in the CESAFI, a number of manila-based universities expressed their interest in recruiting him. While the allure of playing in the big leagues in Metro Manila such as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was tempting, Garexx Puerto decided to stay in Cebu City since he wanted to finish his studies first so he can help his family.
"Hindi ako nakapag tryout sa Manila kasi wala akong kilala, syempre taga bundok lang po ako. Pero noong nasa Cebu ako, kinukuha ako ng Mapua Cardinals, College of Saint Benilde, San Beda, at Letran. Pero hindi ako lumipat kasi iniisip ko po yung pag-aaral ko. Gusto ko makapag tapos ng pag-aaral para magka trabaho at gusto ko makatulong sa pamily."
Garexx Puerto is looking forward to a new chapter in his basketball journey. He is setting aside his forgettable stint with the Cebu City Sharks and hopes to log significant minutes with the Caloocan Supremos. He is willing to give everything that his new coaches will ask of him.
"Ang maco-contribute ko sa team ay sumunod lang sa mga coaches. Play physical but not dirty. I will defend, rebound, and hustle so that I can help the team win."
It will definitely be a big task for Garexx and the rest of the Caloocan Supremos to turn their fortunes around. In the last season, the Supremos barely missed the 8th and last spot in the northern division. But as cliche at it may sound, nothing is impossible. Who knows, the Supremos will be the dark horse in the upcoming MPBL Season.
So far, it has been a memorable 10-year basketball journey for Garexx Puerto. Along the way, he definitely learned many lessons which help him mature.
"Yung lesson na natutunan ko sa basketball is ingatan natin ang talent na binigay ng Panginoon sa atin. Kailangan humble lang po tayo at hindi tayo pwede mag mayabang kasi sa Diyos ito galing."
For those who also aspire to be a professional hooper one day, Garexx has this to say:
"Hardwork lang tayo araw-araw. Mag-aral ng mabuti at huwag pumasok sa mga bisyo. Sunding ang payo ng mga magulang ninyo. Magdasal kayo palagi at pag ma-varsity na kayo, huwag lumaki ang ulo. Susunod palagi sa mga coaches ninyo at extra practice."
IATF Allows Basketball Practice
On another note, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has recently announced that basketball and football teams can now hold practice sessions. This is good news for basketball teams who are raring to get back in action after a very long hiatus due to the quarantine lock downs.
For the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), the gradual lifting of restrictions on contact sports such as basketball would mean it can finally continue all of its remaining games in the national semi-finals. To date, the Basilan Steel and Davao Occidental Tigers are locked up at 1-1 in their South Division Finals Series while Makati Supercrunch and San Juan Knights are also tied at 1-1 in their North Division Finals duel.
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