PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur - Even as they chanted his name again and again, the mostly Mindanaoan crowd inside the EOC Evacuation Center of the Datu Lipus Makapandong Governor D.O. Plaza Sports Complex here knew full well Dairick Duterte of CALABARZON was going to pose problems for fancied defending champion Davao.
And he himself proved that right away, as not long after the audience collectively yelled 'DU-TER-TE' during his introduction, the 18-year-old undersized big huddled his teammates for their secondary boys' basketball finals meeting with Region XI on Saturday morning.
"Wag tayong makinig sa crowd. Focus lang tayo sa laro kahit yung kalaban po namin, sikat na sikat," he answered when asked what he told Region IV-A before slapping his teammates' chests to hype them up.
LOOK:
Clearly, all of CALABARZON took that message to heart, as they showed no fear against a Davao side widely assumed to be on its way to a back-to-back, especially with what was essentially a homecourt advantage.
Once the game got going, Duterte walked his talk, over and over again posting up Ateneo-bound Rene 'Bobet' Baterbonia and backing his way down right at the rim.
"Naging challenge po talaga sa'kin yun. Sa buong bansa po, sikat na sikat po siya kaya naging motivation ko rin po yun," he, standing 6-foot-tall, said of his match-up with the 6-4, long-limbed Baterbonia.
READ: Duterte-led CALABARZON downs Davao in stunning Palaro title game
And in the end, it was challenge accepted and achievement unlocked for Duterte, who confirmed that he is a distant relative to former President Rodrigo Duterte, as he pounded in 21 points and powered Region IV-A to a pleasant surprise of a title.
Change is coming
The 18-year-old, Angono native's surname, of course, is a fixture in modern-day Philippines, but that doesn't change the fact that Duterte deserved all the chants and cheers he got.
Serving as the engine for a team nobody outside his region expected to win it all, he consistently delivered the goods for CALABARZON, including 17 points against Ilocos in the quarterfinal then 20 markers vs. Central Luzon in the semifinal.
"Sobrang saya po dahil sinisigaw po nila yung apelyido ko. Nagpapasalamat ako kay God kasi 'di ko rin po akalain na ganun mangyayari sa'kin kahit 'di naman ako kilala dito," he said.
"Pero sobrang saya na rin po na ngayon, nakilala na rin ako ng buong Pilipinas."
Indeed, the newly-crowned Palaro champion has become a celebrity all unto his own, bending Mindanao to his will and showing why he's worth a shot at the next level.
"Para sa pangrap ko rin po ito. Nagpakilala po talaga ako rito sa Palarong Pambansa para kunin nila ako," he said, referring to college programs who could be interested in an old-school banger who plays way bigger than his height.
"Ngayong nakilala na rin po ako, magga-grind pa po ako para marating ang mga pangarap ko."
With that, maybe, just maybe, we're going to hear more shouts of 'DU-TER-TE' in the UAAP or the NCAA sometime soon - in this case, Dairick Duterte.
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.
