today is november 11, 2011 - or in pop culture, 11-11-11. i'm not really a fan of superstition and numbers, but some people consider this day to be a lucky one, while others don't really give a damn. nonetheless, this phenomenon won't happen again in a century, and that perhaps is the reason why a lot of people are making a fuss out of it.
they say 11/11/11 is a good day to make wishes. this might just be my lucky day to wish some things for the love of basketball, and lady luck might just smile upon me. who knows? anyway, here are 11 wishes - all basketball-related - that i have for 11/11/11.
1. new nba season. 133 days seem like eternity, and i've got four words for david stern: I WANT MY NBA! it is my hope that the league and the players union will finally meet each other in the eye, agree on the points of contention, and let the players do what they do best: play the game wearing their team uniforms. it won't matter if we'll only see 72 games starting december 15, but at least the nba can make our christmas and the rest of 2012 happy. until then, i'll keep my fingers crossed.
2. sinag pilipinas snags gold medal. the philippines has been southeast asia's basketball powerhouse since time immemorial. and if only the playing field in fiba asia was at this level, we could have gone to the olympics a long time ago. but with smart gilas folding up after faltering in the fiba asia championship, it's time for sinag pilipinas, a team mainly composed of the best collegiate basketball players, to carry the flag for the philippines in the forthcoming southeast asian games.
3. blue eagles get a three-peat in the pccl. the ateneo blue eagles will defend their title as the best collegiate team in the land in the philippine collegiate champions league starting this month. the eagles of loyola heights, fresh from reclaiming the university games basketball championship, are also seeking a record third consecutive national title. i do hope that the blue eagles will bring a complete roster and stamp their class with the best of luzon, visayas-mindanao, and the san beda red lions.
photo courtesy of kenneth gan
4. xs golden stallions and their drive for five. the xavier school golden stallions nailed their fourth consecutive metro manila tiong lian basketball league championship earlier this year against hope christian academy. as the premier league for filipino-chinese schools in the metropolis, tiong lian is xavier's playing ground through the years. after claiming history last season, the boys from greenhills, led by jeron teng, are out for more as they drive for five straight basketball titles early next year.
photo courtesy of kenneth gan
5. mr. 104 will bleed blue and white. in the past few weeks, jeron teng tweeted about meetings with schools that have expressed interest to suit him up for next year's college basketball season. known for scoring 104 points in one game early this year, jeron might just be the most-coveted high school recruit next season. where will he go? as much as he's wearing blue and gold throughout high school, i wish he'll wear ateneo blue in season 75. with kirk long ending his playing years, jersey #12 is all his.
6. ring for the king. watching the dallas mavericks win the nba championship last june was a breathe of fresh air for the league. as the "usual suspects" dominating the league and winning titles, it will be nice to crown another team as nba champion. but i personally would like to see my favorite nba players finally put a ring on that finger - especially steve nash. of course, no one wants to end his playing career in the nba just like karl malone, john stockton, charles barkley, and reggie miller.
7. stay away from sick bay. on a personal note, i hope to be injury-free for the rest of the school year. this year alone, i was sidelined by a sprained wrist and a sprained ankle (twice). lately, i've been feeling some nagging pain in my left heel, and i really hope it's nothing serious. i hate missing games and watching them from the sidelines due to injury. maybe i'm gaining too much weight or i'm pushing myself too much in the game, but i have to be careful - in the same way that i'm passionate with the game.
8. holy grail. ever since i played basketball and watched the nba, one of the things that i'm really astonished at are basketball shoes. more than the design and the endorser of the shoe, i like looking at basketball shoes and knowing about their performance on court. this holiday season, two of my favorite jordans are coming out of the market: jordan xi concord (from 95-96 season) and jordan xiv (the one he wore during the 1998 nba finals when he made the game-winning shot against the utah jazz). i hope to cop one of them and grow my collection of basketball shoes, which already includes air max penny 1, air penny 2, and air max cb94.
9. new beaters. last semestral break, my air penny 2 had to retire after three years of quality service, which includes a championship in lxg, a final 4 appearance in fasaap, and countless yet memorable battles in the xavier school basketball court. as such, i need a new pair of rubber shoes as an alternate for adidas ts bounce commander. after letting go of a good paying job, i'm back to being a dependent on savings from weekly allowances. and so, i have to choose something that will fit my budget as well as meet my playing load. i'm still torn between lbj ambassador 3 blackout and kd3 pop home. discernment is indeed one of the most difficult things to do in life. oh well.
10. new ball. i lost 3 kilos because of daily basketball. help a fat seminarian lose weight and get his life back. donations are very much welcome for a new basketball: a molten gg7 that is readily available in your friendly neighborhood sports stores. hahahaha!
11. more basketball! basketball makes my life exciting. with my schedule finally fixed for the second semester, i will try most of my afternoons free for basketball pickup games in the richie fernando sj covered court on school days and the soldiers hills 2 covered court on vacation mornings. and so i wish for more basketball: better games, more challenging leads to overcome, close games to pull away, and camaraderie among players on court! until the next basketball game!
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