Message from Spain

Of course, you remember David Wood. He was Purefoods’ import in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup this season and one of only a handful of white reinforcements ever to play in the pro league since its inception in 1975.

Wood, 36, led the Tender Juicy Hot Dogs to fourth place in the Second Conference but nearly towed the club to the Finals, losing to eventual titlist Red Bull in a closely-fought semifinal series that went the distance. He was the consummate team player. Wood couldn’t care less what his stats looked like after a game – to him, the important thing was doing what it took to bring his team to the next level, win or lose, for God’s glory. That’s right, Wood is a devout Christian who plans to become a full-time evangelist when his playing days are over.

When he was in town, Wood once delivered an inspiring message of hope and love during a Christian Sunday service. He practices what he preaches – Wood reads the Bible every day, something he’s done since he was 12, and is a model husband to wife Angie and a doting father to their three sons. "The Bible’s been an anchor for me," he said in Path to Victory, a Christian book given to me by pastor Sam Pascual of the Grace Baptist Church in Davao City. "It’s tough to sin with the Bible in your heart."

For the record, Wood averaged 20.6 points, a league-high 15.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 16 games for Purefoods. He shot 53.1 percent from the floor and 81.7 percent from the stripe. Wood said if Hot Dogs coach Eric Altamirano invites him back next year, he’ll definitely play in the PBA – which he described as "a great league" – again.

The other day, Wood sent an e-mail from Spain where he is playing for the club Jabones Pardo Fuenlabrada.

"I’m playing well," he said. "I got used to the ball in my hands while in the Philippines and I started to really enjoy it. Here in Spain, I’m a shooter, defender, screen setter and rebounder, in pretty much that order. Our team is on a four-game winning streak in Spanish league play."

Fuenlabrada is in fourth place with a 6-3 record in the 18-team league. On top is Unicaja Malaga (9-0). Second is Real Madrid (8-1) and third is F.C. Barcelona (7-2).

"Since Barcelona and Real Madrid have a budget five times my team and most others, they are doing well, along with Unicaja Malaga," noted Wood.

The Spanish league is extremely competitive and

top-class. Teams are allowed to recruit European Community Country players as locals and two imports. Barcelona’s roster, for instance, lists only six homegrown Spanish players, four EEC recruits (including Alain Digbeu of France), and two imports, Saras Jasikevicius and Arturas Karnisovas of Lithuania. EEC recruits may be Americans who are naturalized. Take the Caceres club whose EEC pick-ups are former PBA import Daren Queenan of Lehigh University (Belgian naturalized), Crawford Palmer of Duke University (French naturalized), and Gary Alexander of the University of South Florida (Spanish naturalized) – all NCAA Division I veterans. Caceres’ imports are Nick Davis of Arkansas and former National Basketball Association (NBA) forward Larry Stewart of Coppin State.

Other ex-PBA imports plying their trade in Spain this season are Devin Davis of Leche Rio Breogan, Jerod Ward of Granada, and Jason Sasser of Casademont Girona. Two NBA veterans in the league are Rex Walters of Canarias Telecom and Adam Keefe of Girona.

Fuenlabrada has no EEC recruit. Its imports are Wood and Velimir Perasovic of Croatia, the league’s Michael Jordan – not because they play alike but because they’re both in their late 30s. Jordan is 38 and Perasovic, 37.

Wood is averaging 13.2 points, seven rebounds (14th in the league), and 31.6 minutes for Fuenlabrada. He’s hitting 54.1 percent from the field (48 percent from three-point range on 15-of-31 treys) and 70 percent from the stripe. Wood netted at least 20 points in three of Fuenlabrada’s last four games all of which the team won.

Last Nov. 17, Wood shot 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power Fuenlabrada to a 107-91 win over Caceres which paraded two American imports and three EEC recruits, including Queenan.

Spanish writers hail Wood, who’s playing in his seventh season in the league since 1989, for his hard-nosed defense, ability to read the game, and team play. He’s taken his clubs to five playoffs so far. Last year, Wood averaged 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds for Fuenlabrada.

Wood’s blue-collar work ethic led to spots on eight NBA teams in seven seasons.

"I’m known as a role player," he said in Path to Victory. "But I also have a role as a believer in Christ. I bring other men of God into contact with guys in the NBA and try to fill the gap spiritually, wherever I am. I try to fill the gap on the court, too. You have to understand your role but you can’t think of yourself as an inferior player. I think I can be just as important in a win as anybody on the court. God has done above all I could ask or imagine, according to His power, in my basketball career. Jesus won’t shoot the ball for you but the Bible says God is for you. Psalm 144:1 says ‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.’ I say that before every game as ‘Praise be to the Lord my God who trains my hands for rebounding and my fingers for shooting.’"