JOHAN Uichico took an entirely different path from that of his father, but the career he chose, though not in basketball, has given him fulfillment in his career and in life.
Years after he was a member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the 35-year-old Uichico — or Dr. Johan Uichico — is now a doctor who specializes in the field of radiology. And if the surname sounds familiar, yes, he is the son of Jong Uichico, the coach who has won in almost all levels of basketball most notably the PBA.
Although the sport runs in his blood and he was able to use it for his education, Uichico admitted basketball is only his second love as his main interest has always be in science which was why he took up BS Biology in Ateneo.
“Actually, what I really wanted to be was a marine biologist,” said Uichico to SPIN.ph recently. “’Yun talaga ang dream ko. ‘Yun talaga ang first love ko. Second love ko is basketball. Pero siyempre, we have some realities in our country that we have to face, some needs na nangangailangan talaga. ”
Uichico took the pre-med course, while playing for the Blue Eagles from 2003 to 2006 primarily as a role player when he suited up for coaches Joel Banal, Sandy Arespacochaga, and Norman Black. Although he already had his basketball career, he was not pressured by his father to pursue it.
Taking up a pre-med course, Uichico set his sights on entering med school if his grades were up to it.
“Nag-usap kami ng dad ko. It’s funny na people were expecting na since he is in basketball, he will push me towards basketball pero medyo opposite siya. Baka hindi ako magaling kaya hindi niya ako pinagbasketball,” added Uichico in jest.
“I wanted to do something with science. Course ko was BS Biology. Kapag mataas ang NMAT [National Medical Admission Test] ko, maga-apply ako sa med school. Kapag nakapasok ako sa med school, magme-med ako,” he said.
After his stint with the Blue Eagles, Uichico had a brief stint with Magnolia in the Philippine Basketball League from 2008 to 2009, but still with an eye on taking up med school if his basketball career didn't pan out.
“After ko mag-graduate ng college, nag-PBL ako habang naghihintay ng med school. Kasi may gap ‘yun in between college and med school. Nagpaalam na ako kay Papa na baka puwedeng makalaro lang sa PBL. Nag-tryout ako, na-draft naman ako sa Magnolia. After one conference, nagpaalam na ako kay coach Koy (Banal) at kay boss Peter Martin na itutuloy ko na ang medicine. ‘Yun ang naging path ko,” said Uichico.
A Blue Eagle through and through, Uichico, as expected, studied again at Ateneo where he was part of the third batch of students of the newly opened medical school at the time. He also chose Ateneo because the medical school also has an MBA program where a student can finish with a masters’ degree in business if he or she eventually chooses not to go through becoming a doctor.
Uichico admitted he wanted to specialize in orthopedic surgery at first because of his background in basketball, but that all changed when he was introduced to radiology, a field that he compares to being a role player just like when he was in basketball.
“Originally, gusto ko mag-orthopedic surgery. At some point during the internship, I realized na mas gusto ko ‘yung radiology. It was a little bit of a shock to my parents pero I think ‘yung radiology, para kang all-around player. Hindi ka super scorer, shooter, or defender. More of gusto ko maging all-around player. Nung naglalaro ako, role player din naman ako. Mas sanay ako sa ganung sitwasyon. ‘Yun ‘yung parang pinaka-sports comparison ko doon. Siyempre, ‘yung iba, sanay sa star player. Radiology is more of all around.”
It was in August of 2014 where Uichico became a doctor after five years in medical school — three in the classroom and two as an intern. Not surprisingly, he learned about passing the board exam while playing basketball.
Uichico still recalls the moment like it was yesterday.
“Nag-exam kami Saturday and Sunday, dalawang weekends ‘yun. Usually, lalabas ang results, sabi nila Wednesday. Tuesday, Wednesday, hindi pa lumalabas so kinakabahan ako. Siyempre Thursday na, kabadong-kabado na ako. Pinuntahan ko ‘yung refuge ko which is the basketball court. Nag-basketball ako, nag-basketball kami ng mga kapitbahay ko, pick-up game, laro-laro.
“Nung nagpa-sub ako, may mga 50 missed calls ako tapos messages ko, 30. Kinakabahan ako, may nangyari na ata sa akin. Hindi ko makalimutan ‘yun, mga 8 o’ clock, 9 o’ clock pm, puro messages of congratulations. Grabe ‘yung feeling talaga. Siguro ‘yun ang feeling ni Papa kapag nag-cha-champion siya. Sabi ko sa mga kapitbahay, ‘Pare, doktor na ata ako.’ Hindi ko ma-explain even talking about it now. Nagkaka-goosebumps ako,” said Uichico.
Uichico is happy with the career he has chosen. He finds satisfaction in able to detect health issues before it gets worse and could lead to saving a life of a person.
“It encompasses all body systems from sports injuries to cancer to the heart to the brain,” said Uichico of radiology. “It’s very interesting and very fulfilling for me especially ‘yung mga routine check-up na parang may makikita ka. Although hindi siya fulfilling na may sakit sila, pero ‘yung nahuhuli mo ba. Even if we are not directly interacting with patients, we can save lives.”
Helping the less fortunate also gives him that sense of fulfillment.
“Residency training ako sa Medical City up to 2019. Ngayon, affiliated ako sa PGH [Philippine General Hospital]. I think it’s a good balance for me kasi parang from a private institution to those in need sa PGH. Very eye-opening kumbaga. I was so used to the ideal set-up and then you see those in need of your help kumbaga,” said Uichico.
Uichico hasn’t left basketball for good. Before the pandemic, Uichico has a ‘Thursday Group’ that includes former Ateneo players from different eras, a few of them now in the PBA.
“It’s good for me also kasi kahit papaano, gusto ko rin makasabay sa mga bata. It’s enjoyable. Iba na ‘yung conditioning nila. Kahit makasabay ako ng tatlong baba, masaya na ako, tapos papa-sub na ako,” he said.
Despite being involved in basketball, there is also no inclination from him to be a coach someday, just like his father. He has, however, instilled the same values from basketball that his dad has in his coaching career.
“When I see my dad, parang hindi ko kaya,” said Uichico, when asked about coaching. “It’s unfair to my medical practice and basketball. It’s not something that puwede mong gawin sideline ‘yung isa. Kailangan mo mag-fulltime talaga. It will be a disservice. Hindi siya parang, for example, you have a business tapos on the side, coaching.
“’Yun naman ang natutunan ko sa dad ko, ‘yung hardwork niya. Since bata ako, VHS pa lang eh. Hindi cartoons pinapanood namin, basketball. ‘Yun ang nakita ko sa kanya na focused talaga siya which I brought naman into my medical practice,” he said.
Recently, Uichico was the medical consultant for the National Basketball League (NBL) during the organizing and implementation of the league’s bubble that recently concluded over the weekend where all four test results yielded negative.
Amidst the pandemic, Uichico said he is happy that professional leagues such as the NBL was able to hold bubbles for the resumption of their season. Despite some sort of normalcy, Uichico urged everyone to continue to follow safety protocols being implemented by the government.
“I think may different phases ‘yung pandemic. At the start, not even the doctors knew what it was. Right now, we are slowly beginning to understand how it is. There is some optimism. Even if we see so much negativity on our Facebook or Twitter, if we get consumed by this negativity, talo na tayo.
“Actually, very happy ako na ang NBL, ‘yung Chooks-to-Go 3x3, and the PBA, they are starting and they are doing the best they can to sort of reopen things for everyone the safest way possible. But everyone has to do their part. It’s hard to blame the government lang or blame this sector lang. You see individuals not doing their part. I’m still hopeful. I’m still optimistic about everything. Human naman tayo. May time na down tayo pero I think, may hope and optimism that we can bounce back from this.
“It might be taking us longer than other countries, pero iba ‘yung Pilipino. Kapag na-focus sa isang bagay, tuluy-tuloy. These are good signs— the opening of the leagues, the programs of the IATF, and, of course, ‘yung mga methods na lumalabas. As we speak, maraming nagde-develop na bagong tests.”
And like a true sportsman, Uichico also had this to say on whether the resolution to this health crisis will come sooner than later.
“Optimistic pa rin,” Uichico said. “It’s hard na tambak tayo first quarter tapos gi-give up na lang tayo. Mas lalo tayong tatambakan. Let’s do what we can. Keep praying, wear masks, wash our hands, labas lang pag necessary.”
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