And that's exactly how they fought. Tired though they appeared, sweating and heavily breathing, they never gave up, the fire of winning blazing inside each of them, gleaming their exhausted faces, so that their main audience got roused and chanted wildly for them to plow through in courage.
This refers to the University of San Carlos Boys High School Batch '94. The games are the annual basketball league playouts trademarked by the San Carlos Boys High Alumni Basketball Association. Two divisions make up this league. The first division is composed of the batch from the 70s to the 80s, while the second division makes up the generation 1990s and up.
It was no easy feat to gather the batch and hold them towards a single goal: win the coveted cup in their division. Says Romulo Manapsal Jr., the batch's acknowledged leader, "I became the organizer of the event and this was our third time to join. It was difficult trying to get everyone to join and commit to practice in the beginning."
Indeed, it wasn't exactly a walk in the sun trying to gather players whose priorities have shifted from playing the game for fun and glamour to advancing career growth and securing their respective family's future. Hard though the task seemed, insurmountable to say the least - according to Manapsal, they managed to group together in a short time and planned their conquest.
A highlight of this meeting was the strict imposition of penalties for every game practice missed and the loss of chance to play for the scheduled game. Manapsal said the rule was strictly enforced and bonded everybody. More than sticking to a commitment, it was a mark of discipline.
The consensus of the group is that the road to winning is doing the right thing. Ask and you shall receive. Do your best and God will do the rest. Old wisdom it may be, a mark of their maturity, but it truly catapulted them into winning.
And so the league began, they donned their fresh uniforms gamely sponsored by RC Goldline and Julie's Bakeshop. The first game was a disappointment. But it soon became a learning experience. The bitter defeat left a sour taste in their tongues and pushed them hard to win the next round.
The new motivation, coupled with better practice results and renewed camaraderie propelled them into a winning streak. They looked unstoppable to the other teams. Consequently, this momentum, rightfully earned, fueled the dwindling confidence that other team members felt. Nobody took the credit alone. Everybody pitched in to savor and maintain each victory gained in the court.
According to Manapsal, their batch is blessed with the best basketball players who always play by heart. "We are a group of talented players and each one of us plays a role to support and sustain whatever success we have."
The best thing, says Van Galacio, who made a few significant distributions to the team's defensive play, was the attitude of everyone who sacrificed self-glorification. "We did away with the star complex and instead gave way to one another, making sure we compensate what is lacking in the play."
Adds James Lu, whose good looks and smooth moves inside the court never fail to elicit a titillating scream from the fans, "It was always team spirit, which of course is the Carolinian spirit. We play with heart and passion."
Indeed, the couple of games I witnessed affirmed what they have put so passionately. Though they always seemed to play by the nick of time, you see the determination when they drive inside and sink the ball to score. You feel the concentration etched in their sweat-drenched faces. You feel the frustration with each missed shot, or of a fouled shot, wasted turn-overs and missed fast-break opportunities. For one whose knowledge of the game is limited and sticking only to the basics, it looked like the team had no gameplan. Thus, it always seemed like a miracle when they finally edged out the competition, considering the almost always laidback play they execute.
"It became a style, or a trend, for the team, to start weak at almost every play and pick up strength in the second quarter", says Stephen Perez who takes charge of the team's necessities.
As one of their ardent fans, I was watching the game progress with my heart in my throat. It was suspenseful, at times overtly competitive, with tempers flaring at the slightest provocation. When the score widens to as much as ten shots, I get agitated and antsy. That's when we fans would go wild. We bellowed our frustration, sometimes I felt like we were roaring. It was a different kind of enjoyment, knowing that it was always on the edge of defeat but never giving up.
"Sometimes, it was a downer, but the fans always manage to stir our lust to win," adds Perez.
And what array of fans the team had. Over-zealous wives and friends, alternately shout encouragement to never give up and to give everything they got. Their children, too, did not miss out in the excitement and avidly hooted for each score won. The moments of rage, hysterical fits, the worried and elated faces were very infectious. It was a stampede of exhilaration and charged the air with dynamism so that the team's fan base, in fact, got bigger with each game won. Old classmates show up, along with colleagues and secondary family members.
The players said the fans' energy never failed to buoy them up. In fact, they said, all of their winnings are dedicated to their fans. The fans' support was one of the motivating factors that boosted their triumph.
"We are a family-oriented team. Our solidarity is in part contributed by our families' dedication to come and cheer for us. We always respected our fans. They helped us a lot" explains Manapsal.
Was there any significant, out-of-the-box lesson that the team learned from the experience? Manapsal says the lessons they've realized, which came in trickles from the time they've regrouped, was to play with the heart, by the heart and for the big hearts of those who support them.
Each time the team skirted around a looming defeat, timeouts were meant to remind one another of the purpose for the play. It was always a push to do more and deliver better scoring, having gone so far from the time they started.
Such motivation and respect for one another actually makes up their winning strategies. Simple and reflective of their maturity, devoid of tactical skills most common to bigger basketball teams.
More than the opportunity to share the magnificent display of courage for this team, it was a welcome diversion to my routinary existence as the games transported me always to a europhic level. The colored personalities of the players were an impressive remembrance to me. Of course, not discounting their boyishness, their surprisingly good looks and contagious current of youthfulness.
Now don't make me reveal their names, I might get a mouthful and a whack from their respective loved ones. But yes, they are a team to watch and beat next year.