EVERY year, the Smart-NBTC National Finals presented by SM sets the stage for hundreds of young talent, both locally and internationally.
And while each and every one of them has had their fair share of trials and tribulations leading up to their arrival at the Mall of Asia Arena, very few have had it rougher than Cebuano playmaker J Lord Pepito.
Once a cornerstone for University of San Jose-Recoletos, Pepito quickly made a name for himself in the CESAFI juniors, and caught the attention of a more than a few schools and squads in Manila.
But even entertaining offers became a struggle for the two-way guard.
Aside from being too old for Emilio Aguinaldo College's high school program, Pepito also had to reject an offer from St. Clare because of the lack of scholarships.
After that, a slim chance of hope arrived in the form of interest from Letran. But just when he thought he finally had his big break, complications arose with his documents.
With his dreams of playing in Manila failing to come to fruition, serious doubt was cast on Pepito’s mind, and slowly, he began to think that big-time basketball just wasn’t in the cards.
“Dumating sa point na parang hindi na siguro para sa akin yung basketball. Stop na lang siguro ako kasi walang-wala na talaga eh. Wala nang nangyari," he told SPIN.ph.
"Sabi ko nga sa sarili ko at sa Panginoon, ‘Ito ba yung binigay Mo sa akin? Deserve ko ba na maging ganito?’ Kasi ginawa ko lahat.”
And just as he was mulling over the difficult decision of letting go of the game he grew to love, even more hardships arrived, as his hometown experienced its most disastrous year in decades due to a magnitude 6.9 earthquake followed by 'Typhoon Tino.'
“Wala na kaming bahay noon. Wala na kaming mga tirahan. Kasi wasak-wasak eh,” he shared.
With their home ravaged and his motivation for basketball dwindling by the day, it was Pepito’s mother who kept his head up.
“Sabi ko sa mama ko na hindi na ako magba-basketball. Sabi ng mama ko, ‘Huwag. Baka pagsubok lang yan. Hindi natin alam, may ibang chance pa. Kasi nung pinigilan kita na huwag umalis, hindi ka magpapapigil. Kasi yan yung talagang gusto mo. Pangarap mo yan. Ngayon, susuko ka na?’” he recalled.
“Sabi ko sa mama ko na hindi talaga para sa akin 'to kasi wala talagang nangyari. Hindi ko na alam saan ako pupunta. Mahirap lang kami. Parang pinamukha na sa akin hindi talaga para sa akin 'to.”
Make your mama proud
Heeding his mother's words, however, Pepito trained to get back in condition, taking up jogging with all the courts in his town destroyed.
And shortly after, his mother proved to be right, as the University of Southern Philippines Foundation came calling, saying they wanted Pepito’s to join them for the 2026 NBTC Visayas Regional Championships.
“Sabi ko, ‘Baka tama ka talaga mama,’” he admitted. “Nagpapasalamat ako sa kanya dahil hindi niya ako pinabayaan. Kahit noon, hindi niya gusto na mag-basketball ako kasi delikado, tapos ayaw niya malayo ako kasi ako lang yung isang anak niya."
"Thank you mama, nandiyan ka palagi para sa akin.”
And safe to say, Pepito made the most of that golden opportunity, helping the Panthers to the NBTC Visayas title and a deep National Finals run averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds, while earning for himself the Visayas Most Outstanding Player honors and an All-Star selection.
The lesson, kids? Listen to your mama. And more importantly? Believe in yourself to make everybody else believe in you.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
