ENTERING the Falcons' lair come UAAP Season 87 are Ronzone twins Cade and Austin.
READ: Adamson to get boost from Ronzone twins in UAAP Season 87
Sons of Tony Ronzone, representative of Gilas mainstay Kai Sotto, the young and explosive floor generals know a thing or two about basketball at the highest level — both in the Philippines and the United States.
Between the two 22-year-old, 6-foot-2 cagers, it is Cade who plays point guard and is one who likes to "run the ball, run the offense, and add a little to the score when I can as well."
Austin considers himself a combo guard inclined more towards shooting.
In roughly three months' time, the former Arizona State Sun Devils will take flight in San Marcelino to begin a new chapter with a title-contending Adamson squad.
SPIN.ph caught up with the Ronzone twins in an exclusive interview ahead of their forthcoming UAAP stint with the Falcons next season.
Bred to play ball
To be under the wings of their dad growing up, who has traversed nearly each and every corner of the global basketball scene, has been of dire importance in their rapid rise as athletes.
"Almost out of the womb. I think in the baby pictures, instead of a binky, it was two basketballs in our hand," said Cade. "We’ve been around as soon as we could start. Our dad worked in the NBA, he’s still part of the game today, he played basketball as well so we’ve just been around basketball our whole lives."
“We’ve just pretty much known basketball and just something we love and grown up to play," he added.
Tony carries a scintillating reputation as a top international sports scout, having found some of the best NBA superstars to grace the game in Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Dončić, and was also part of Team USA's Olympic coaching staff for eight years.
Moreover, he is a 23-year NBA executive who was part of the Detroit Pistons' front office in its title-winning 2004 season which featured the likes of Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, and Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.
Needless to say, with such a decorated resume in the sport they've grown to play and love, Cade and Austin have long been driven and inspired by their father to blaze their own trails in basketball.
"He inspired us so much. He knows so much about the game and everything we know today, he taught it — all the drills, how hard it is to play. There’s so much to it and he’d always say: ‘You need to play hard every time,'" Austin shared.
“His growth in basketball has been monumental. He’s literally taught us the right way to play, the way not to play, and everywhere in between. He surrounded us with the best basketball people we could know and we’ve just been around with people who know the game and that’s just helped us along the way," said Cade.
All roads lead back home
As the old saying goes, home is where the heart is.
And as such, the Ronzone twins grabbed the chance to play college basketball in their Filipina mother Liwayway's homeland.
"What sparked our interest in playing in the Philippines has just been our genuine connection with our Filipino family. Growing up, we’ve always been around them so we’ve always wanted to have a part of them," Cade bared.
"Having seen ball in the Philippines and watching the PBA and UAAP growing up, we’ve always wanted the opportunity to play. As soon as we got the chance to figure things out, I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’”
“On top of that, our dad played for the Los Angeles Jaguars in the Philippines with Sean Chambers, so you know, we’re following his footsteps,” Austin added.
What Austin pertained to was his dad's linkup with one of the most revered PBA imports of all time in Chambers during the 1987 PBA-IBA World Challenge Cup.
And on the subject of linkups, Cade and Austin were given a heads up by no other than Kai Sotto on what to expect ahead of their first taste of action in a basketball-crazed nation.
“(Kai Sotto) prepared us. He told us it’s gonna be soldout crowds, people love basketball over there, the passion is crazy, the Filipinos play hard, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun, he said. He said: ‘Get ready for it. You’re gonna be in for the full experience,'" the Ronzone brothers said.
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