Cool Cat’s hoop odyssey

Mike Cortez didn’t know what to expect when he arrived in Manila from Los Angeles in June 1999. He was recruited out of Carson City high school to play for La Salle in the UAAP and admitted leaving home to try his luck overseas was “a shot in the dark.”  The alternative was “to find a job to do what I didn’t want to do.”  Cortez’ dream was to play basketball and the dream brought him to the homeland.

“It was hotter than hot like the start of the monsoon season like humid heat,” Cortez recalled his introduction to Manila weather during a recent EASL Clubhouse session.  “I got in about 10 a.m., rested for an hour then went to the campus.  Willie Wilson, Alvin Castro and Mon Jose were on the team and they welcomed me, made me feel comfortable. Coach Franz (Pumaren) was cool.  I did one year of residency and found out what playing in the Philippines was like in the Fr. Martin Cup, the Friendship Games and competitions that got me ready for my first UAAP season.  The game was different, guys grabbed you, got in your face, very physical but I got used to it.”

Cortez wound up playing on two UAAP champion squads then applied for the PBA draft in 2003.  He was Alaska’s first round pick, tops overall and named ahead of Romel Adducul, Billy Mamaril, Reynel Hugnatan and Jimmy Alapag.  That started Cortez’ pro career which went through Alaska, San Miguel Beer, Air21, Ginebra, Meralco, GlobalPort and Blackwater up to 2019.  He retired with three championships and a Comeback Player of the Year award in 2009.  Two ACL injuries on the same day, Oct. 17, two years apart never dampened his spirit.  “San Miguel sent me to L. A. and I rehabbed with Judy Seto, now the Lakers sports performance director, to recover from my second ACL injury,” he said.  “It sucks to get an ACL injury and you don’t wish it on anybody.  But Judy got me back and it was a perfect environment because the clinic was just a 20-minute drive from home.”  Cortez returned to the PBA in fine form and played a key role in San Miguel’s 2019 championship in the Fiesta Conference.

A highlight in Cortez’ career was playing with Blackwater in the EASL Summer 8 tournament in 2018 and Terrific 12 the next year.  “It was great exposure for the PBA,” he said.  “My first time to see international teams up close playing different styles.  China was tall, big and moved the ball fast.  The experience got us ready for the PBA and I remember in the 2018 Governors Cup, Blackwater finished No. 5 in the eliminations and almost made it to the semis.”

After 20 years in the Philippines, Cortez decided to go back to L. A. with wife Joy and their two sons Jacob, 19 and Mikey, 14. “The kids were both in school, Jacob a UST senior and Mikey in Grade 9 at La Salle Greenhills,” said Cortez, now 40.  “If not for the pandemic, we’d still be in Manila.  But nothing was going for basketball and school, we were stranded in our condo.  We thought it was time to go back, my mother-in-law needed caring, my kids were growing up not knowing their cousins and relatives in the US.  Right now, I’m exploring opportunities. When this pandemic is over, I’ll surely find out what’s going on in Manila.”

What Cortez plans to do is to discover more Fil-Ams who could play in the Philippines and reinforce the national team.  “There’s a lot of talent out there,” he said.  “We all want to put the Philippines back on the map.  Our players need exposure to get the right opportunity.  Maybe, I can help.  In my last year in the PBA, I played the role of a communicator and mentor to guys like Bobby Ray Parks, Mike DiGregorio and Ael Banal.  I’ve learned from my coaches like Tim Cone that the ability to be a professional is what counts, trusting your teammates, respecting the refs, working hard at practice and staying connected with the coaching staff.”