How Chris Newsome stays fit and awesome

I have a confession to make. I interviewed the guy before his UAAP debut. Humble and downright charming, I could sense from half-Filipino Chris Newsome the quiet passion and dedication to excel in collegiate basketball.

Currently dubbed “Awesome Newsome,” he is part of the five-peat champion Ateneo Blue Eagles’ first five. For those of you who want to know him better, I asked more questions than usual to reveal the wonderful spirit of a new basketball sensation.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Where were you born?

CHRIS NEWSOME: I was born in San Jose, California and then we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Growing up, I went to Rio Rancho High School.  After I graduated, I went to college in Las Vegas, New Mexico, two hours away from where I lived. I played Division 2 basketball there for three years. We made it to the NCAA tournament and set the record for greatest turnaround in NCAA history.

Tell us about your family. How many siblings do you have?

My dad’s name is Eric and my mom is Carmelita Duque. I have an older sister, Mikkia, and an older brother, Eric Jr. Then there’s me, the middle child. I have two younger sisters, Nishelle and Melissa. Nishelle is in college. Our baby Melissa is in high school. 

My mom was born in Parañaque but she lived in Pasay. I see distant relatives like her cousins, but my grandma’s side are all in Ilocos Norte so I don’t really get to see them. My mom’s middle name is Duque, but then my lola was Tomas. My mom cooks adobo and pancit and a couple of other Filipino dishes. All my friends love coming over whenever my mom cooks lumpia. A lot of my friends love that. My favorite is adobo.

What was your first sport?

My first sport was actually soccer or football, as it’s called here. I got into it recreationally because my mom wanted me to join sports. I was six or seven years old when I started. My brother was already playing baseball and my older sister was in karate. I just wanted to do something for me, and that ended up being soccer. It actually helped me a lot. It gave me a nice athletic base, kept me running around and kept me active as a kid.

How did you get into basketball?

Basketball came to me naturally. My background started with my dad in my backyard. I just saw him shooting around, then I’d start shooting. My dad would always go to the nearest recreational center to play, so I’d always watch him. As I got older, my older brother played on the middle school and high school varsity, so I kind of just followed in his footsteps. I actually started playing basketball late because I played American football and baseball before getting into basketball. I didn’t start playing until grade 7, which is actually pretty late for now.

What made you stick to basketball?

I love the game. It’s a fun game. Soccer was fun, but there are too many people on one team. The same goes with American football. You can make an impact, but with everyone else, it’s hard to make an individual impact. In basketball, you really get the chance to make that individual impact and you really get to work together as a team. It’s really just that aspect of the game that I really liked.

How did you end up playing for Ateneo?

My coach that I played for at Division 2 College in New Mexico Highlands University, Joe Harge, came to the Philippines a few times to help the Talk and Text PBA team. He knew a couple of the coaches here. After that, Josh Reyes who’s an assistant coach for Talk and Text flew out to New Mexico. He was going to a few coaching camps in the States, then he stopped by New Mexico. We talked. He knew I had Filipino blood. He went to lunch with my mom. We talked a little bit about what it’s like to play basketball in the Philippines because I had never been there before. My mom hadn’t been home since she was little so we were just kind of curious. We went to my college, he put me through some workouts and then eventually he flew back out here. I played for my college for one more year and then he invited me to come to the Philippines because at the time the PBA D-league was getting introduced. He told me it was my opportunity to come out here and try to make a name for myself. My dad and I flew out here the summer of 2010 and trained with a couple of teams. I got to see T&T practice and trained with them for a bit.  Since T&T practiced at Moro, Coach Norman was there ’cause he was an assistant for T&T, too. So basically at that time I was 19. As coach of Ateneo, he invited me since I still had college eligibility. I had no idea what Ateneo was or their reputation but then they showed me around campus. Then I was fortunate enough to see an Ateneo — La Salle game. First Ateneo-La Salle game, first UAAP game, and I was completely blown away. As soon as I saw all those people half in green, half in blue at the Araneta Coliseum, I was amazed! So I think basically I was at that point where I was thinking I could either stay at my school for one more year or come out here and play for Ateneo and take my career from there.

What is the greatest challenge in your life?

This one. This was definitely one that made me look deep inside myself. Because as a person, a basketball player, it made me really think about what I want in life. To move out here is really a big life decision, to leave everything I had, all my friends, everything I grew up with just to come out here. I had a girlfriend for four years and then I moved out here we tried it out, but long-distance is really hard so eventually that ended but I believe that everything does happen for a reason so yeah things didn’t work out but it’s okay. As long as she’s happy, I’m cool, as long as my family is happy I’m good with that. I came out here for a reason. My dad brought me out here for a reason.

What’s your expertise? How did you get it?

I’m known for my dunks and athletic abilities. They say my ability to jump as high as I do is kind of a rare thing. Basically all my training just growing up starting out with soccer got me my speed and quickness. Training in HS, I had a lot of pylometrics specifically for that.  I also did track and field in HS. Yeah, some people say athletes in the States get better nutrition, but for the most part I think it’s the training. That’s basically why we go train in the States. The trainers know a lot more about basketball, a lot more of the science behind it, more than just the aspect of playing basketball.

Of course, a long, long time from now, do you see yourself coaching?

Yeah, I can honestly see myself coaching cause I’ve actually wanted and it wasn’t until college that I started learning the game, to think the game. And when I started to think the game, even when I go home now I’ll go back to my HS with my HS coach and I end up coaching there, teaching the HS players what I know now. Basketball has been part of my life for so long, I can’t imagine letting it all go. I can definitely see myself coaching!

Who for you was your best coach? (Note that when we interviewed him, Bo Perasol was not even the coach of Ateneo yet.)

That’s tough, I can take a lot of aspects of myself from each of my different coaches. I’d say hard work comes from my HS coach.  He’s the one who pushed us to incredible limits just diving to the floor for every ball, playing till the whistle blows. No such thing as fouls or out of bounds during practices so we keep playing.

Mentally, I learned a lot from my first college coach Joe Harge. I was a point guard in the States, he taught me how to think about the game a lot differently. It goes more than putting ball in the basket.  He told me basketball is like a chess game, as point guard you control the team. You have different pieces and you need to know how to use them.  If you have a guy who can shoot well, you’re responsible for getting him to make the shots.  If you have teammates who mismatch in size, if you have a big man you have to recognize that and exploit that in a matter of seconds.

Coach Norman, he’s just really intelligent. After learning that you do need to use your pieces, someone that uses them well is Coach Norman. So just expanding on top of that, he is just very very smart, very basketball intelligent. I’ll always remember a lot from him. He played the biggest part in my transition from the American style of playing to the Philippine style of basketball.

What is your training like?

I lift weights daily from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Also depending on game schedule,  if there’s a game, then weights won’t be as hard. We have recovery days and practice is 6-8. That’s two hours, but if you want extra work then you end at 9. In the States, it’s a lot different because during our pre-season you have two hours in the morning, weights and stuff, then you have drills in the afternoon and you do that for two to months months straight. Here, the longest we train was two weeks long, but of course, that’s because here they play year-round so there’s no way you can really push your body to the limit like that. In the US, you have one season, then it’s off-season. That’s when you can tire your body out. You can’t train your body out too much during the season cause you really have to play.

How do you avoid injuries?

Stretch and always strengthen your body, but some injuries are unpreventable. Accidents that happen unintentionally and unexpectedly do occur. I just take care of my body, stay strong. Don’t get lazy or your body gets weak, I do jump rope to keep my agility, little things like that to fine-tune what I do.

How do you spend your free time?

Video games.  My XBox is one of my best friends. I also love watching movies. Unfortunately here, I’m not really as involved with music as I was back home, but back then, music was really a big part of my life. I play piano, but my first instrument was drums. Growing up, I played drums in my church.

What is in the heart of Chris Newsome?

One thing that’s really in my heart is my family. Of course, they mean the most to me, both future and present family. I know there’s an opportunity to make money here.  I can help them at home, also my mom loves coming here ’cause she’s from here. Originally, my intention was to bring my grandma before she passed away. She really wanted to come back to the Philippines before she died. I had her in mind when I made the initial move here. For my own family in the future, I would like to support my children by playing basketball here. Yeah, that’s what I wanna do. I see myself staying here, I do see that happening.  I like it here. Just the Philippine culture in general, I find it really nice.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com