BOCAUE — Biboy Enguio can’t step away from the game even when he’s on vacation.
The Fil-Indonesian guard was spending his offseason back in his home in Cavite, but never had any second thoughts when the Indonesian basketball federation came calling.
“Nagulat na lang ako kasi nasa bakasyon ako dito sa Pilipinas tapos tinawagan nila (Perbasi) ako two days before the competition. So gulat na gulat ako,” he said.
Fast forward to Friday, and Enguio finds himself donning Indonesia’s black-and-gold anew in the 2018 Fiba 3x3 World Cup at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
With little time to prepare and to adjust to the halfcourt game, the 30-year-old guard learned the nuances of the 3x3 discipline on the fly while trying to mesh with teammates.
“Naga-adjust pa ako kasi hindi ko pa alam yung mga rules sa 3x3. Tapos yung mga teammates ko, kahapon ko lang din nakita. Isa doon teammate ko before sa IBL, si (Fandi Andika) Ramadhani,” he said.
That lack of chemistry was evident as Indonesia lost its first two assignments, a 22-6 decimation at the hands of Poland before a 22-10 defeat to Estonia to fall to 0-2 in Pool B.
Enguio didn’t fare any better, amassing only three points through the two games.
Despite the pair of defeats, Enguio, who currently plays for the CLS Knights, believes that these experiences could only bring good things ahead for Indonesian basketball as a whiole.
“Magandang experience sa amin ito kasi kumbaga, yung level ng competition dito, sobrang taas talaga kasi World Cup ito eh. So yung impact noon sa amin, para sa experience, malaking bagay talaga. Yung kumpyansa namin, aangat,” he said.
And Enguio is happy to be riding this tidal wave, being one of the old reliables for Indonesia when it comes to the sport.
“Masaya ako,” he admitted. “Malaking improvement sa Indonesia yung pagdating ng half-American players like Mario Wuysang at Arki Wisnu na laking America. Tapos ako naman, dagdag kasi half-Filipino. Very rare yung breed na ganoon para sa Indonesia so malaking tulong talaga kasi nase-share namin yung mga kaalaman namin.”
The former University of the East Red Warrior is hoping that all of these developments will eventually bear fruit in the future, with him having one particular goal in mind for his country.
“Siyempre yung sa (Southeast Asian) Games. Lagi kaming finals ng Philippines eh, lagi kaming silver. Kaya sana pagdating ng araw na mag-improve pa lalo ang Indonesia, manalo naman kami ng gold,” he said.
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