Nanan on my mind
NANAN, China — One of the many perks of being a sportswriter is getting the chance to travel a lot while doing the things you love the most.
I have been blessed enough to come and visit this beautiful city of Nanan in the province of Fujian three times in the past already since 1999.
And each visit, If I may say, gives me a reinvigorating new experience that show how beautiful life can be even from faraway but enchanting places you can only imagine or read in the books or watch on YouTube.
A fourth visit to Nanan on a cool and lovely October when the holiday fever is now felt almost everywhere should rank high among my list of favorite sports destinations.
It is something I look forward to every four years like the Olympic Games and that I know I’ll tell stories about the place and its people to my only grandson Apollo Nathaniel for years until he is old enough to see it for himself.
You see, Nanan is hosting the 10th edition of the Gen. Zheng Chenggong Cup international invitational men’s basketball championships on Oct. 19-26.
Held every four years upon the initiatives of the Nanan Overseas Friendship Association and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the Zheng Chenggong Cup is one of the most-awaited basketball events in the whole Fujian Province.
Like all the other major international basketball events in all of China where Yao Ming and his fellow giants are treated like demigods, fans from Nanan — both young and old — look forward to hosting and watching and cheering their favorite teams and players during the week-long competition held in honor of their beloved national hero.
“The Zheng Chenggong Cup is one of the biggest and most prestigious basketball events in Fujian. Although held only once every four years, both the Nanan City government and the foreign teams look forward to participating and joining the festivity,” said Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) secretary-general Graham C. Lim.
Lim said Nanan City is also the perfect host for major sports competition.
“Nanan City, which is located on the southeast coast of China facing Taiwan, is also one of China’s famous hometowns of more than four overseas Chinese now spread all over the world and contribute more than 100 million yuan for 28 consecutive years,” added Lim, who is helping the Nanan City sports organizers in their international sports relations.
Lim, also the secretary-general of the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP), said the Philippines is always one of the major partners of the Nanan City government and the Filipinos have always participated in the Zheng Chenggong Cup basketball tournament since the beginning in 1987.
“We regularly participate in the Zheng Chenggong Cup since it started in 1987. The BAP sent a team, Philips Sardines, headed by Modesto Teh and national team coach Joe Lipa, and finished a fighting third, overall” recalled Lim.
“Since 1987, we have not failed to send a team to Nanan through the help of our friends from the Filipino-Chinese Federation, including Alvin Tai Lian of Bestank, Christian Tan of Healthy Options, Ruddy Tan of Burlington Socks and Nelson Guevarra of PGFlex Linoleum.”
“Of course, the Philippines won two of the first nine championships of the Zheng Chenggong Cup.’
The FedEx-supported Philippine team, led by six-time PBA Best Import awardee Bobby Parks, Alvin Teng, Biboy Simon and Wunne Arboleda, brought home the championship in the fifth edition in 1999.
Four years later, the Philippines Burlington-Bestank team rallied from a h7ge 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun top favorite Hong Kong, 90-86, in the final held on December 21 and capture their second straight championship.
Britt Carlo Reroma, at 5-7 the smallest player on the court, teamed up with PBA stars John Ferriols, Ricky Ricafuente, Wynne Arboleda, Ryan Bernardo and Danny Capobres as the Filipinos scored 23 unanswered points in the fourth period to turn a 56-76 deficit and silence the pro-Chinese home crowd at the Nanan Sports Center.
Both champion teams were handled by coach Johny Tam, who is now coming out of retirement to lead this year’s team and pursue a grand slam of sorts in the Zheng Chenggong Cup.
Other past Philippine teams which represented the country in the Gen. Zheng Chenggong Cup basketball tournament are the PICAA-YKL Selection, Warner Motors-Sonlie of coach Dong Vergeire, MBL champions Hobe Bihon-5th Avenue Telecoms of playing coach Junnel Mendiola and team captain Braulio Lim and Wang’s Ballclub of MBL president Alex Wang.
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