Basketball is finally back! It's the National Basketball Association (NBA) though and not the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
Be that as it may, it is still good news for the millions of basketball fans not only in the Philippines but in the whole world who have been deprived of basketball action over the last five (5) months. We now have something to look forward in this difficult time of a pandemic.
In the local scene, basketball leagues have not returned yet. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams were only allowed to resume practices and scrimmages and It remains to be seen as to when it proceed with televised basketball games. It may not occur anytime soon as COVID-19 cases continues to grow.
Amid the gloom and doom brought about by the COVID-19, basketball never stops. We continue to share in our facebook page MPBL RESULTS the inspiring stories of young and young-at-heart hoopers who are in pursuit of their dream to play in the professional ranks. This week, our featured player is Mr. Anjo Gutierrez, a 6'0 guard from Morong Rizal.
Anjo Gutierrez started playing basketball when he was in first grade because his father would always buy him basketballs. At that time, he was also influenced by his brother whom he watched and idolized as a basketball player.
Just like other pinoy kids, the basketball court became a playground for Anjo Gutierrez. Right after coming home from school, he would always immediately proceed to the nearby basketball courts to play with his classmates who eventually became his teammates in various "Liga" that he joined as a young kid.
When he was in grade six (6), he learned to play "pustahan" against other players. That was the time he realized that he needs to play harder even though he was already tired in order to win games because the stakes are high. If his team ended up defeated, he would lose his money which he could have spent on food.
From the casual money games, Anjo Gutierrez eventually leveled up and joined organized tournaments in his barangay. In one tournament that he participated, he left a remarkable impression. Not only did he win the championship trophy, he was also adjudged as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
"I consider that as one of my best achievement and a gift to my mother and I'm sure that My mother is also happy. But sad to say, after a few weeks, My mother died, said Anjo Gutierrez in a chat interview with Ligang Pinoy."
When his mother died, he gradually lost interest in playing basketball. He felt lazy to even lift a ball as his sadness engulfed him at that time. But Anjo Gutierrez was undeterred.
"I said to myself that nothing will happen to me if I continue being lazy so I started again playing basketball just to forget the sadness inside me. I always play basketball when I feel sad and when I misses my mom. Playing Basketball always makes me happy, explained Anjo Gutierrez."
He strived to be the best in playing basketball that was why he always trained in his spare time. He also joined various basketball try outs of basketball in his barangay. Luckily, he got accepted in a team.
"I'm so happy because for me, It's a new achievement. I worked so hard and disciplined myself due to the fact that if I want to be the best in playing basketball, I should make myself more disciplined and work harder to be sure that I will be one of the best, added Anjo Gutierrez."
After the training at the barangay level, his dad taught him the proper shooting form. He realized that a very good shooting form will improve his game, especially his offense. Consequently, he wasted no time in taking extra workout whenever he got home just to perfect his craft.
At 15, he joined various training camps to hone his basketball skills. Although it was tiring for him, Anjo Gutierrez persevered and his hard work eventually paid off as he was invited by Coach Jun and Coach Barok to train with a team called JBA.
"I was very happy because that team is good, they had a good system and their training is very sufficient. I had a lot of improvements thanks to them."
Anjo Gutierrez went to manila supposedly to train on a Chinese school but his plan didn't pan out. He found another school so he decided to go back to Rizal and continue his training. He later joined the try outs of Tomas Claudio Colleges where he was eventually accepted.
Anjo Gutierrez is a work in progress. He trained almost everyday in order to improve his all-around game. On weekdays, he practiced with his college team while he trained with JBA on weekends.
"I learned a lot from every single training that I worked on and I can say that all my hard work paid off."
Unfortunately, Anjo Gutierrez's training got derailed after he was confined in the hospital. He became skinny and depressed at the thought that he wasted a lot of opportunities due to his inability to train. After he was discharged from the hospital, he started training to regain his fitness even though it was a daunting task.
"Even though it's difficult, I will always continue for my dream. There are no such circumstance that you cannot face. If you have a dream, you do what it takes to achieve it."
Anjo Gutierrez's health returned to normal. As he was about to restart his training in Metro Manila, Covid struck. With the implementation of a Luzon-wide lockdown, his training was suspended indefinitely.
Nevertheless, he continued working out in their house by lifting weights. He has a dream and he believes he can achieve it.
"All it takes is to have diligence and dedication to achieve the dreams you’ve set sight to. Self discipline is important to get you ready for achieving your Goals. For all the ballers that dream of playing as professionals, let’s all work hard to achieve it."
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