IF you want to break other players' ankles, you have to break yours while putting in the work.
That was Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin's advice to the more or less 30 aspiring ballers who participated in Saturday's Kyrie Irving training session where the Cleveland Cavaliers star's third signature pair was introduced.
Baldwin was of course referring to the fundamentals - its importance he can't emphasize enough during the two-hour training at the Treston College Gym.
"You can't really play the game well unless you can play the fundamentals," said Baldwin, who was assisted by Ateneo cagers Thirdy Ravena, Aaron Black, Jolo Mendoza, and brothers Matt and Mike Nieto in conducting the clinic.
"As a coach, I've spent most of my life trying to convince players that when you walk in the gym the first thing you do shouldn't be to pick up the basketball and shoot it."
"There's so many other things you hve to master because, actually, when you're playing the game you spend very little time with the ball and spend a lot of time playing defense, cutting... there's a lot to do without the ball," he added.
Matt Nieto, who plays point guard like Irving, coulnd't agree more.
"Ang sinasabi ni coach, we have to go to the basics first," he said. "You can never have a perfect shooting form without repetition. You can never break ankles like Kyrie without knowing the right technique."
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