THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

I used to ask some of our elders in Rizal province how it was to watch professional basketball games during their time. I discovered that this question would surely make them travel back in time to an era when basketball was a national passion, and the Philippines was unquestionably the biggest basketball country in Asia.

Our elders were referring to the late 60s and the early 70s when professional basketball was just about to be born in the Philippines. They recall that on Sunday evenings, nearly everyone in the neighborhood would be tuned in on the broadcast of the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association or MICAA – the predecessor of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) – on their television set or on the radio. You would know on whose side your next-door neighbors were by waiting for when they would be bursting into ear-busting cheers.

Almost no work happened on Monday mornings following the Sunday night games, our elders related. The basketball aficionados in the offices, government and private, would be discussing the previous night’s games, analyzing the performance of teams and players like experts.

The most awaited games then, our elders said, were the games between Crispa and Meralco.

When those two teams dueled on the hard court, it was always like it was championship night.

On those nights and in the mornings after, sportscasters and game analysts would be mentioning names of Filipino cagers who now form part of the Hall of Fame, official and unofficial. Among those names were “Jun” Papa who, they said, had the hottest set shot in the country; Danny Florencio, whose expertise at penetrating the lane and taking under-the-goal stubs was legendary; Big Boy Reynoso, who, when he guarded the shaded lane, made it practically impenetrable; and, the sweet-shooting Bogs Adornado.

The biggest cheers were, of course, reserved for the legendary Robert “the Big J” Jaworski.

Interestingly, the biggest heckles were also earmarked for him.

Our elders said that the then-young-cager from the University of the East played with such intensity that his presence in the hardcourt made every person in the venue remain standing from the initial jump ball to the final buzzer.

“As far as the Big J is concerned, you had to make a choice – you either loved him or hated him; you were either for him or against him,” our elders would say. “You could not be indifferent about him; he divided the world of Philippine basketball between Jaworski fanatics and Jaworski haters,” they added.

“But one thing is sure – everyone respected the Big J,” they pointed out. “You may not like him but you would always respect him,” they underscored.

I asked them why the Big J commanded such following and respect. Their explanation was inspiring. They said it was because the Big J gave his all to the game he loved. He was always 100 percent. He played his games like there was no tomorrow. He combined skills with passion; tactics with intensity; and strategy with wit.

In May of 2003, I remember watching a reunion game that featured the Big J in a sentimental “rematch” between his Toyota Team and the rival Crispa Team. The Big J had retired by then. I remember that the Araneta Coliseum was filled to the brim. I waited with bated breath for his entrance to the hard court. I knew that as soon as he checked in at the official’s table, the crowd would come alive and that famous chant “Jaworski! Jaworski!” would start to fill the air.

He was past his prime, but his fame and the public’s adulation had not faded. As I watched his every move on the hardcourt and the public’s reaction to him, I knew he was the star.

I clearly remember that the ball was given to him with just a few seconds left on the game clock. He took one step back to clear the shaded lane. He jumped and released the ball from the three-point area. He made the shot in vintage Big J fashion, and the crowd erupted in jubilant cheer.

I do not think I have ever seen a crowd celebrate like that ever again. They went there to see that one shot that only the Big J could make. And, when he did, they got what they went there for. To this day, it baffles me how a one-star player and one three-point shot could make a country go into such a joy-filled frenzy.

The Big J went on to join the legislature as a senator. He chaired two senate committees: the games and amusement and sports, and the investments and economic affairs. I believe he performed his public servant duties the same way he performed his roles in the world of basketball. In his one term in the Senate, he authored and co-authored some 300 bills – quite an achievement for a neophyte legislator. A good number of these bills provided the environment and our natural resources with protection against man-made damage.

I guess his name will continue to be mentioned prominently when Philippine basketball history is discussed. We will always refer to him as one Big J who gave his all to the game he loved and to his countrymen who derived much inspiration from someone who did.

We wish Senator Bobby Jaworski all the best as he marked his 78th birthday last March 8.

We honor him by emulating his fine example of “giving one’s all” to one’s countrymen. ([email protected])