Paying it forward

THERE was a time when Mighty Sports has been actively competing in basketball tournaments here and abroad.

From its humble beginnings seeing action in commercial amateur leagues, to playing in the PCBL, supporting a squad in the MPBL, creating a segment in the PBA to representing the country in invitational international club tournaments like the William Jones Cup, the Merlion Cup and the Dubai International Basketball Championship, Mighty Sports had made its presence felt both in the local and international cage circuit.

Over the past few years, star players — both local and import — were able to join the squad.

Before he joined the PBA and trained in the US, Kiefer Ravena used to play for the Mighty Sports team that entered the finals in the PCBL. Joining him in that squad was UAAP import, Bright Akhuetie.

In the 2016 William Jones Cup, coach Bo Perasol and seven reinforcements — former PBA imports Zach Graham, Al Thornton, Mike Singletary, Vernon Macklin, Hamady N’ Diaye, Troy Gillenwater and Dewarick Spencer — beefed up the team that has a young Jason Brickman, ex-PBA players Jeric Teng, TY Tang, Larry Rodriguez, Sunday Salvacion, Leo Avenido and Edrick Ferrer.

The team went on to win the gold medal, becoming one of the few Philippine-represented squads to rule the Jones Cup, joining the likes of the Northern Consolidated Team in 1981 and the 1985 champion San Miguel Beer (NCC), both teams coached by the late great Ron Jacobs, the Centennial National Team coached by Tim Cone in 1998 and the Gilas Pilipinas squad of Chot Reyes in 2012.

Three years after winning the Jones Cup, Mighty Sports returned to give our overseas-based countrymen a treat and once again ruled the competition.

In 2019, Brickman joined future PBA stars Mikey Williams, Jeremiah Gray, Jamie Malonzo, and Roosevelt Adams in the team along with Joseph Yeo, Jelan Kendrick, Troy Rike, Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Andray Blatche, and imports Renaldo Balkman, McKenzie Moore and N’Diaye as Mighty Sports dominated the tournament anew.

Mighty Sports also made its presence felt in the Dubai International Basketball Championship where it was welcomed by thousands of UAE-based Filipinos.

This time, it’s Mighty Sports’ turn to give back to our basketball-loving Filipinos, particularly local coaches who were putting up basketball leagues in Dubai and nearby countries. The Filipino coaches and other local basketball enthusiasts there were given hands-on training by no less than Tab Baldwin.

Baldwin is no stranger to international level of play, having coached New Zealand in the Olympics and the World Championship. He has also coached Gilas Pilipinas to a silver medal finish in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and led the young national team last year in securing another berth to the Asia Cup.

Baldwin shared why the PBA Rookie Draft is an event he always looks forward to because there, he would see the products of his labor.

The active coaching consultant of Ateneo, which led the school to numerous championship runs, had seen his breed of players now embarking a new journey in a league created for grown men.

But sharing his expertise is another way where Baldwin feels satisfaction and he tries to become the better version of himself as a tribute to his love for the game.

In the basketball clinic presented by Czark Mak Corporation Mount Fuji Restaurant and Polaris Industrial Estates, Baldwin taught the players the fundamentals in shooting, passing and rebounding. He believes analytics and statistics are important in a game, but knowing how to use the pieces of information you get is more vital.

The basketball clinic was attended by 80 coaches and fans from UAE.

Joining Baldwin in the basketball clinic was Charles Tiu, who coached the Mighty Sports team in various international tournaments.

Currently the head coach of College of St. Benilde in the NCAA, Tiu was able to recognize familiar faces who attended the clinic, many of them watched Mighty Sports-Philippines’ games when the team competed in the Dubai International Basketball Championship.

Keith Wongchuking, director of Czark Mak Group of Companies, has reaffirmed Mighty Sports’ commitment in supporting Philippine basketball and the group is more than willing to bring it where there are Filipinos from different parts of the world. The group intends to also equip our local coaches scattered everywhere.

Mighty Sports is involved in uplifting basketball and wants to commit themselves in whatever capacity, be in competitions or getting more involved in the cage community. When it comes to basketball, the group won’t hesitate to pay it forward.