For years, he stood at the far end of the bench, taping ankles and icing shoulders — a role where victory isn’t exactly measured by the scores or the crowd’s roar but rather the quiet satisfaction in taking care of others.

But just when he thought his life would only revolve at the sidelines of the sport, he became the one diving, sprinting, and battling it out on a handball court.

Ethan Casares traded the muscle tapes and ice packs for a handball – and hopefully – a SEA Games gold medal.

A burly 6-foot-4 often mistaken as a player of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters where he once served as a physical therapist, Casares has now taken the spotlight for himself as part of the Philippine handball team competing in the biennial meet.

As the pivot player of the handball team, Casares is making use of his wide body to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. It is somewhat far from what he was used to being a PT of a PBA team.

With the Elasto Painters, he ensures that players will be in best shape to compete – sitting and waiting at the bench until he is needed.

In handball, he was right in the middle of the banging and physicality.

“Transition-wise, there is still a lot to adjust," said Casares in a mix of English and Filipino.

“From not expecting to perform, like in the past, when all I think is ‘what I need to do for the players, what they need, and I have to prepare for any possibilities’ to now thinking about the play and the mechanics of the game,” added the 27-year-old athlete.

Being a healthcare professional for most of his life, Casares admitted it was hard to prevent himself from helping his fellow physical therapists in the team.

“I still volunteer to become the team’s PT,” he said smiling.

“I kinda wear two hats, but, of course, the coaches want me to focus on just playing. But still, I am a healthcare worker first so I still think about the welfare of my fellow athletes,” said Casares, who already played handball 10 years ago but had to let go of it to focus on his studies.

But it wasn’t lost to Casares how being an athlete, more so a national team member, is an entirely different ball game to what he is used to.

For one, like basketball, handball isn’t only physically demanding but it also requires great discipline and mental fortitude.

“I would say it's a struggle mentally because you have that pressure. You carry the name of the country. You have its name on your chest, on the jersey. There is pressure there,” he stressed.

“But at the same time, I am trying to learn that I’m still a rookie and I have to be less hard on myself while also embracing the learning process.”

Somehow, it also helped that for a good two years, he was around great athletes at Rain or Shine as he had adapted to their work ethic and mentality.

“In the PBA, I saw how disciplined the players are, especially in their lifestyle. Their mentality about the game and their work ethic. There’s a lot of hard workers at Rain or Shine so their work ethic kind of rubbed off on me,” he added.

Now, after years of standing quietly behind the bench, Casares finally steps into his own arena — carrying not ice packs or tape, but the country’s colors on his chest.

And if the former PT has proven anything, it’s that he doesn’t just help athletes — he can also become one.