Garvo Lanete: Into the unknown

The big story in Philippine basketball the past two years has been the number of young pros leaving the country to earn more by playing overseas. It created a stir because of the potential competition with local leagues despite the overabundance of players. Many of those who left had not really established themselves at the professional level. But what other reason would compel a champion basketball player, a successful athlete at the top of his game, to drop everything, pack his bags and leave the country, with no certainty regarding his economic future? If you ask Garvo Lanete, there’s only one thing that outweighs all of that: family. He and his American wife Shelby Pearl met on a beach in La Union when she was a volunteer in the country. Soon after, she decided to stay in the Philippines and teach young children. They married in June of 2020. But the pandemic derailed their original plans to remain in the country.

“My wife was having a hard time here during the pandemic,” the six-year pro guard told The Star in an exclusive interview. “She didn’t want to stay anymore. She got depressed because we couldn’t go anywhere. We were also trying to have a baby, but she was having a really hard time because she was so stressed. That’s what made us decide to move, even though I still had a live contract (to play in the PBA).”

Lanete was already a four-time NCAA basketball champion with San Beda College before being drafted sixth overall by the NLEX Road Warriors in the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft. He was traded to the Meralco Bolts in 2017, then was shipped to NorthPort Batang Pier after another two seasons. With NorthPort, Garvo’s game had evolved to the point that he averaged a career-high 12.1 points and over two rebounds in 26 minutes per game. When they chose to migrate at the end of 2021, there were no plans for possible employment in the US. He was leaving a secure job and a life he knew for the unknown. But Garvo’s first priority was for Shelby to be near her family and friends in Georgia.

Luckily, the members of the Filipino community in Atlanta heard the news that Lanete had moved there, and were able to help him find part-time work. While waiting for his Green Card, the former Red Lions captain was able to work with four Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams, coaching seventh to ninth graders and traveling with the kids all over the state. Now that he’s received his Green Card, he has been able to formally get full-time employment. Garvo is now with Horizon Christian School, a private learning institution, where he is the head varsity coach, assistant athletic director and weight trainer. Last week, he was even visited by college rival, PBA teammate and Gilas Pilipinas contemporary Kevin Alas.

“Kevin was on vacation here, so I asked him to talk to my players,” Lanete recounts. “He saw how my life is, how basketball is here. Kevin enjoyed himself. He was able to help the team. The kids really appreciated his input.”

Though he’s received an offer to return to the PBA, Lanete has decided to put down roots in Atlanta. He’s worked hard to build strong friendships and connections beyond just his fellow Filipinos all over the state. He feels contented and secure, in a setting where the people are warm and welcoming. On a personal front, the couple are expecting their first child in July. As a grateful Garvo himself says, the blessings continue to come, all because he decided to take a leap of faith into the unknown for the sake of his beloved.