This is a prime example of why you should never give up. When things look bleak, when you’re near the end of the road, when all hope is seemingly lost, stand your ground and keep at it. This is the story of Lou Gatumbato—the oldest rookie in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
He’s 31 years old, five foot nine inches, and has an unshakable spirit about him. His hoop dreams started even before his high school days in Don Bosco. He was in the line-up with Caloy Garcia for the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) as it made the transition from the NCRAA to the NCAA.
On Garcia’s fourth college playing year, Gatumbato’s third, both were enticed to join the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). They consulted their school’s athletic director who advised that there would be no issue if they joined the amateurs. But when they did, they ended up getting banned from playing in the NCAA. Even though they completed three athletic years with DLS-CSB, what they overlooked was they were supposed to have completed at least three playing years in the NCAA before joining the PBL. Technically, they had only been with the NCAA for a year.
But that didn’t stop Gatumbato.
He saw an opportunity to play in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) and found himself in the pro league. He eventually played for his family’s hometown team, the Iloilo Megavolts. He was indeed the pride of Guimbal. But as it turned out, the Megavolts and the MBA went on a downward spiral and it all quickly came to a tragic end.
But that didn’t stop Gatumbato.
He went on to join the PBL and played for 7 different teams in 6 years. From Dazz Detergent, where he reunited with college teammate Garcia, to Montana, to Blue Detergent where they were runners up, then joined Ateneo’s PBL team, to Welcoat, to the guest team Far Eastern Insurance, then to the Harbour Center squad where he played with Mac Cardona and LA Tenorio. He never tasted a championship.
But that didn’t stop Gatumbato.
In 2004, he applied for the PBA draft, along with a stellar list of hopefuls like James Yap, Paul Artadi, Wesley Gonzalez, Rich Alvarez, Marc Pingris, Gary David, amongst others. “There were a lot of big names and Fil-Ams who were the same position as I am,” referring to Kim Valenzuela and Denver Lopez. “I know I did well in the camp. Even coach Norman (Black) thought I’d get picked”. Unfortunately, he did not get drafted.
But that didn’t stop Gatumbato.
Then came the Liga Pilipinas where he starred in the Taguig squad. They had a runner up finish and landed in the semis twice. But unfortunately, about 2 months ago, after making it to the semis last conference, Taguig got disqualified for not being able to settle certain fees. Their opponents, Misamis Oriental, ended up going to the finals.
This time, he was considering throwing in the towel.
“I told myself that if I don’t get any breaks by end of this year, I’d give up basketball and pursue another career,” he said. Gatumbato took up Export Marketing in college and he’d been doing odd jobs for his family friend’s catering business.
But his luck changed when he was invited by Air21 Assistant Coach Johnny Tam to join their practice. Coach Johnny and Gatumbato were on opposing teams in a village basketball tournament once upon a time. The Express were looking for a reliever since Marcy Arellano acquired a hairline fracture on both legs and will be out till January. Adding to their woes, Ronnie Mattias suffered an ACL (during their game on his birthday at that), and JR Quinahan was out of commission due to a viral infection. It was the opportunity Gatumbato had been praying for.
Coach Yeng Guiao signed him up till end of the conference. Dreams do come true.
Fresh from his first ever PBA game, he shares that it was nerve wracking. “But I was able to stay calm because the coaching staff was behind me, not shouting at me, just giving me instructions and I just did my part,” he said.
He got rave reviews from the team after the game, as he made a couple of daring drives to the hoop and helped the team survive the onslaught by the Barako Bull Energy Boosters and secured the eighth and last quarterfinals slot. Air21 took out two birds with one stone, eliminating not just Barako, but Powerade as well. The 31-year-old (experienced) rookie made good account of himself.
“What motivated me the most is my family,” he revealed. “They were really pushing me. Even my friends who I played with in high school kept encouraging me to pursue the PBA. I kept telling that that it’d be hard to penetrate the league with all the great players out there. But their belief in me made me keep trying.”
Ultimately, the tenacious player imparts this message: “People should focus and never give up their dreams. It’s never too late. Nothing is too late while you’re still alive. In my case, opportunity knocked once. Finally. Who knows where this road would bring me.”
Fit to Post – Yahoo! Philippines News Blog Archive Lou Gatumbato: Rock-hard determination
Lou Gatumbato: Rock-hard determination (former MBA Ilo-Ilo Voltz)
Originally Posted by piaosigua
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