Eyeing the future for Ai
AS 2025 nears its end, people have a tendency to look back and to look forward, women’s basketball head coach for the national U16 team is no different.
Truth is as early as December 7, we were already discussing the highlights of 2024 for her, at the same time we were projecting to the future, including what lies ahead for her University of the East Lady Warriors team in the UAAP.
We were together in Mt. Banahaw in Brgy Sta. Lucia in Dolores, Quezon for the first of two Christmas gift giving to indigent kids in the area, and for Ai, she had been looking forward to returning to this place to spend overnight.
You see when she was still head coach of the multi-titled Lyceum Lady Pirates in the WNCAA, that was when I met her more than a dozen years ago at the University Games in Dumaguete and I got involved with her team for mental strengtening, I brought her team, including future national player Chack Cabinbin, to Mt. Banahaw for an adventure team building.
Ai, like me, fell in love with this mysterious mountain, in fact when she transferred schools to UE, where in 5 years’ time, we brought a team from a 0-14 win loss record to three podium finishes, including a runner-up finish on year 5 against National University, we also brought her new team to Banahaw for a team building.
Anyway, going back to our last conversation, I asked her what her wish was for this year, her reply, to get a regular teaching job after finishing her Masters degree at UE, and this came true as she now teaches regularly at the Eulogio A. Rodriquez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST).
One is a continuing wish for her brother who has bern having health concerns for quite some time already.
For her UE team, she knows that the last two years have been developmental for her team, even for 2025, but she expects more maturity and a few more wins next year.
And we plan to bring this team to Banahaw for a team building, actually, one member, an Australian but of Filipino parentage, Kayla Gomez, was with us last December 7 and like Ai, now looks forward to returning to this mountain.
She admitted she is not sure yet as to her national coaching stint as she does not know what will be given to her as her assignment, but one thing, she did well as our U16 head coach.
But a pleasant surprise for her this year was becoming the State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association( SCUAA) basketball Commissioner, according to her, it was a big challenge as this league has not been able to finish its tournament in recent years.
And Ai rose to the challenge and completed this year’s season with Rizal Technological University( RTU) and Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) finishing 1-2 in the women’s side, while in the men’s division, the same two schools switched as PUP beat RTU in the finals.
She might even end up handling the national SCUAA next year in Pueero Princesa with Palawan State University as host school.
One thing I like about Ai that made us good friends, though she says she looks up to ne as one of her life mentors, is her honesty with herself and practicality, last year, she was among the many volunteers when we hosted the FIBA world championships here, and among her tasks was to mop the floors, something she did without being embarrassed about it.
Now, she says she understands better the work of a team’s support staff and appreciates them even more now.
Come to think of it, there is another thing I admire about Ai, her priority for her players is to finish their college education, and she has been generally successful here, both with Lyceum and UE as most of her past players have graduated and are currently working.
I only see a brighter future for this friend of mine.
A few days from now, the year ends, a new one begins, and with momentum on our part, I see better things for Philippine sports.
Allow me to greet you an advanced Happy New Year.
