wackyracer

I'm sorry, forgot to include my source for the Rabeh-Sharma comment, mas maganda pagkasulat nito:

A Tale of Two Brothers

words by rick olivares

Hours before tip-off for Game 2 of the championship for the 2008 Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Araneta Coliseum was already jammed to the bleachers. Not only did people arrive early to get the good seats but they also wanted to be on hand for the awards ceremony where the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles almost made it a clean sweep of the individual awards.

When Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Ateneo’s starting center was handed trophies for being voted as the league’s Most Improved and Most Valuable Player (he also bagged a spot on the Mythical Five), lost in the adulation of the Ateneo gallery that nearly filled the entire coliseum was one man.

On the court, he is an imposing figure at six-foot-six. His lean chiseled body and the tattoos that adorn his arm make add to that fearsome reputation. But more so now since he’s got game to back up that menacing scowl.

Carlo Sharma, in a white shirt and baggy khaki shorts stood beside former collegiate foes and current Red Bull teammates Rich Alvarez and Magnum Membrere in the patron section. The look on Sharma’s face was a mixture of pride and glee. He clapped his hands vociferously. When Al-Hussaini, his half and younger brother, made his way to the dugout to prepare for their match against La Salle, Sharma pointed to his brother who returned the gesture which is a sign of recognition and respect.

It was four years ago when he steered his Rabeh to his school’s archrival; a decision Sharma never regretted. Rabeh showed plenty of promise as a player for the Philippine Christian University Baby Dolphins and was heavily recruited by all the major college basketball programs including La Salle. But Sharma’s falling out with his school’s coaching staff and the hardship of latching on to a pro team in an increasingly competitive PBA landscape made the decision an easy one. “Kung basketball ang pagpipilian dalawa lang naman ang choice mo. Pero kung sa basketball at sa pag-aaral, alam mo naman kung saan ang tama para sa ‘yo, ‘di ba?”

Having said that, Sharma wishes he had an older brother to advise him during his formative years to steer him in the right direction. But who knew, right?

Incredibly, basketball wasn’t Carlo’s first sport as a youngster. “Chess,” he laughed at the incredulity of the notion. “Talaga.”

Being the tallest student at Paco Catholic School, he was forced to play for his school’s basketball team as a high school senior. “Pinilit ako pero tama lang yun kasi naging maganda yung bunga ng basketball para sa akin.”

Once he learned the sport, Sharma despite being a late bloomer soaked in everything about hoops. He even patterned his game after then-Portland Trailblazer Rasheed Wallace (take note even the tattoos on Carlo’s arm).

Rabeh, a good eight years younger gravitated to basketball at an earlier age but nonetheless idolized his older brother who led the Green Archers to a 2001 triumph over Ateneo.

The two are close even with the disparity in age. “Lagi ko siya tinatawagan,” says Rabeh who credits Carlo along with Norman Black (as well as his teammates) for the quantum improvement in his game.

“Kung napansin mo nung mga first years niya sa Ateneo, laging mainitin yung ulo niya,” noted Sharma who remembered feeling alarmed about his brother’s temper. “Kahit hindi siya kasama sa eksena nandun siya para mag-defend ng teammate o kung saan yung may away.”

Sharma took aside Al-Hussaini and gave him some advice that imprinted itself on his younger brother’s mind. “Huwag mo ako gagayahin sa mga pagkakamali ko,” urged Carlo. The former enforcer of the Green Archers laid it out the realities for his younger brother if he didn’t make good on his studies and if he didn’t work harder on his game.

Norman Black, Al-Hussaini’s coach with the Blue Eagles said that Rabeh’s skills and potential to be a big-time player was always there. “He just needed to realize it and to change his attitude. Once he came to that realization, the game became easy for him.”

Carlo also noted that this season, with better focus and an understanding of hoops, Rabeh has raised his game by leaps and bounds because he no longer allows others to exploit his short fuse. “Ikaw na ngayon mapipikon sa kanya.”

Sharma too had an epiphany of sorts after riding the bench in the PBL with ICTSI and with Shell and Coca Cola in the PBA. “Akala ko tapos na yung career ko kahit halos hindi pa nagsisimula. Nagisip ako talaga kung ano yung gagawin ko kung tuluyan ma-cut sa PBA.”

In Red Bull where Sharma has gained a new lease on life in his pro basketball career, he found himself teammates with a number of old college foes like Ateneans Alvarez, Membrere, Enrico Villanueva, Larry Fonacier, and Paolo Bugia and Cyrus Baguio of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. Far removed from his hell-raiser days with the Green Archers, Sharma became a locker room favorite for his wittiness and presence. “Carlo Sharma is one loud boy,” laughed Alvarez when asked to describe his teammate. “Never a dull moment.” That trust bequeathed on him (and his teammates) by Barako Coach Yeng Guiao saw the power forward-center become a dependable and regular part of the rotation where he was a candidate for last year’s Most Improved Player.

Although Al-Hussaini is unable to watch most of Sharma’s games in the PBA because the Blue Eagles practice in the early evening, he makes it a point to catch Red Bull’s matches on television. If not, he calls his brother for a recap and to ask how he did.

Sharma on the other hand, tries to watch Rabeh when permissible. It isn’t unusual to find him seated beside his former college rivals during UAAP games where he normally wears white. But he makes it a point to cheer his brother on even if it’s La Salle that Ateneo plays. “Hindi na tinatanong yun,” explained Carlo. “Kapatid ko siya.”

After Rabeh brought home a number of individual awards and helped Ateneo win its fourth UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship with a two-game sweep of La Salle, Sharma kidded his brother to spot for lunch or dinner. “Ha? Ikaw yung may trabaho diyan hindi ako,” parried Al-Hussaini.

“Kuripot,” jokingly rebutted the beaming older brother. The brothers now have led their respective schools to a UAAP title.

As youngsters, the two played ball at home whenever they could. Sharma because of the age and height difference used to beat Rabeh regularly in friendly games of one-on-one.

But when asked if they have yet to match up on the court now, Sharma has the last word: “Hindi na. Baka talunin na ako.”

Is Beth Celis credible?

 

I have an Atenean friend who said that Rabeh was influenced by Carlos Sharma (his half-bro) to choose Ateneo over La Salle.. But this article by Celis clearly contradicts that tsismis.. Anyone from Ateneo care to dispute what was written here..

 

Ateneo has been very proud of their tradition that you won't get accepted even though you are a super basketball athlete if you have sub-par grades.. Kumbaga walang lugar ang mahina ang ulo sa kanilang school.. Now this?

 

La Salle has been condemned to burn in hell for accepting athletes who have low intelligence, right? Ganun ang tingin sa eskwelahan namin, diba? Ateneo is considered to be very superior academically di ba? But what gives with this Rabeh thing.. Ano ito biglang tumalino si Rabeh at pinasa niya entrance exam sa Ateneo? Or how about Ateneo overlooking Rabeh's PCU grades? Is Ateneo downgrading their policies just to win basketball games? And DLSU upgrading their academic policies? I wonder..

Beth Celis is the sports page's resident Lolit Solis and a known dlsu supporter. It would be prudent to harbor some reservations on what she says.

The "tsismis" that former Green Archer Carlo Sharma influenced kid brother Rabeh really happened. Sharma of the 2001 dlsu champion team had a falling out with the coaching staff due to the 2002 defeat to arch-rival Ateneo. The debacle was blamed on Mike Cortez for game-fixing as well as Willie Wilson and Carlo Sharma for not playing their hearts out with hints of game-fixing as well. From what I decipher from interviews with Sharma, it seems his stay in dlsu focused mainly on basketball and that his studies were neglected.

Life after dlsu basketball it turned out, was not that easy for him. His initial foray into professional basketball was not very successful and he was always on the verge of getting cut out from the team (his bread and butter). Good thing his game has improved as of late and the future seems a bit more secure for this former Green Archer. My guess is, he got to see for himself the difference between the dlsu players and their rivals from Katipunan who all graduated and had something to fall back on after college ball.

It is hard to comment on Celis' tsismis. What I can say is, it is not uncommon for a student to improve through time. I know of one Ateneo student who was not so spectacular in high school and after graduation went to Wharton and graduated summa cum laude. Kahit yung mga high school classmates niya nagulat. Hindi lang naman high school grades ang basis for admission to Ateneo as Defiant points out. Ang sigurado ko once in the Ateneo, the grade requirements are strictly enforced kahit athlete ka pa. Some promising athletes in the recent past have been admitted but subsequently had to transfer because of academics, ballers like ex-Sta. Lucia guard Ronnie Bughao and newly-drafted Chito Jaime. The more substantial question should be, gruma-graduate ba naman ang mga college ballers niyo o puro basketball lang ang inaatupag?

Kumusta si Limpot, Cardel, Jonas Mariano, Allado, Cardona, Cortez, Benitez, Gatchalian?

all those reasons could be summarized in two words: to gloat.

 

nothing wrong with it. ordinarily, this would be nothing as a simple right of passage everytime a uaap season ends the way it just did. however, i call to it's attention now given the number of times some ateneans here bashed the la salle team as being classless. doesn't gloating discredit one's call for his/her opponent to display some class?

 

bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan... pangit.

I don't think the celebration of Ateneo's sweep of lasal in UAAP 71 is overly excessive. I don't think the exuberance was meant to put down lasal or the lasalites whom we share this forum with. Aside from congratulatory posts, the posts after the championship game centered mainly on lasal's snub of the awarding ceremonies and franz's whining. The counter-posts by supposedly dlsu supporters (such as dynamite007 and to some extent, revi) defending the non-appearance of dlsu, drew out Ateneo supporters to point out the folly of their opinions. Raving against unsportsmanlike behaviour is not gloating. Dancing in front of a vanquished foe, kodakan moments to rub it in against your opponent ... ayun ang gloating. Kami, we're just proud of the Ateneo team's achievements as well as their exemplary behaviour on court in victory as well as in defeat ... class act talaga.

The bashing of the lasal team particularly their coach, I think, is well deserved ... not because they were second best this year but because they failed to uphold the true ideals of sportsmanship.

Well, that is why I posted an inquiry about their age. For me to understand the way they post in this thread.

I don't think age is an issue here, you can be 18 and mockingly make fun of a player's tragedy with a bang bang gesture or you can be 40ish and be so childish as to snub a second place trophy. Pwede ka din maging senior citizen tapos batukan mo yung star player ng kalaban mo and make a dash to the exits. Wala sa edad yan kid.

nope. just the fans/posters here.

sayang, mas bagay sana kay franz sabihin yan hehe

Did Baclao get a tech after the block on Rico when he was standing over him and shouting? Just asking.

For those who weren't able to watch the game, you can download it sa torrents (game one and game two, just search uaap71, thanks to panopticalkid)

Bilis, para masagutan ang trivia question sa taas

There's a certain assumption that with age comes a bit of wisdom/knowledge/experience. If some young people have class, then it's great. If some old people don't, then we are just sorry about that. These are more of the exceptions.

I assume you're talking about that old bloke Franz Pumaren?

man, i've never seen the ateneo faithful out in force the way they are now. or at least, i haven't seen them out like this in quite a while. bakit kaya?

Pasensiya ka na kasi gumawa na naman ng controversy yung magaling na coach niyo e. Sana after the "congratulations" "thank you" "see you next season" tapos na.

Pagsabihan niyo na kasi na tumanggap ng pagkatalo at may next season pa naman.

Masaya naman sa thread na ito diba?

sa tuesday pa ang bonfire ... nung thursday after the game, nag mass sa church of the gesu sa ateneo campus

at the end of the season naman, win or lose, sa church of the gesu ginaganap ang consoling after a loss or thanksgiving after a win

sana wag umulan sa tuesday

i guess this thread will keep on going as long as dimwits like this one keep on posting:

There is a fine line between sour graping and showing guts, bravery and pride not to give satisfaction to Ateneo's win.

Pare, Ateneo doesn't need lasal's validation to savor our well-deserved victory. The team proved themselves on the court.

The lasal basketball team not showing up to claim second place does not lessen the stature of the victorious Ateneo squad.

On the contrary, it further lessens the little dignity left of your controversy-ridden basketball squad.

And you ranting on like this, showing the world how sore losers you are, makes our victory even sweeter.

Masyado ding big-deal yung hindi pag-accept ng 2nd place throphy.. Kahit ako hindi ako lalabas dahil may kaunti nman akong pride na naitatago.. Kukunin ko yung trophy para lamang i-boo ng mga Atenista.. Puno ang Araneta ng mga Atenista sa start pa lang ng game.. What more after the game, di ba? It was a tough loss for Pumaren's squad, and accepting the 2nd place trophy accompanied by jeers and boos from the crowd would make any person's heart falter.. Is that cowardice? IMO, its not.. Its pride.. And I understand them..

 

I am still congratulating Ateneo.. I respect their championship.. Heck! I studied my Masterals in Ateneo, therefore, I believe in their system.. But to jeer and to push while we are down, is just plain un-Atenean.. Again, real Ateneans do not push while the opponent is down, they are "men for others.." They actually lift the spirits of their fallen enemy to fight another great battle in another time..

 

ANIMO!!!!

If you do watch the games live at the Araneta, it wouldn't cross your mind that the Ateneans there would boo or heckle the fallen lasalians. The beauty of an Ateneo-lasal game is that when the buzzer sounds at the end of the game, the victor, whether blue or green never fails to applaud the opposing team. Call it kaplastikan or pure sportsmanship, the fact is, ito ang talagang nangyayari each and every game. I believe Ateneans and lasalians do hold a measure of respect for their rivals. To insinuate that lasal will be booed and jeered by the Ateneans simply is, as you say, BS.

I think some thought should be invested before taking as gospel truth, the idea that accepting 2nd place takes away one's pride. You should know better than take the word of somebody who can't write a decent sentence (aka dynamite007). In an open intelligent discussion, it simply would not hold. Ayan ang problema if your agenda is to defend the actions of the dlsu basketball team (particularly the coach), you're bound to make unbelievable contortions of the truth. The fact is, the discussions here are being fueled by that particular no-show of the green squad and in the course of discussion, may mga peripheral issues pa being brought up. What I resent is that in the course of defending themselves, the greenies almost always blame Ateneo. E kayo itong sumuong sa kontrobersya tapos idadamay niyo kami. Problema niyo yan kaya pangatawanan niyo. Ang problema lang namin e ang parking para sa bonfire sa Tuesday.

wala namang credibility yang si bobby cabral, dapat di siya ang nagrelease ng statement, he'd say anything to save their green asses

this is just another lame excuse in a list of lame excuses for the archers this season, sige tanggapin na lang

Pansin ko rin nga na di paborito ang lasal ng ibang uaap schools. Partly to blame is their coaching staff who teach their wards to disrespect their opponents. I hate to bring this up, but lasal has a history of behaving ungentlemanly when winning and behaves even worse when losing. The snubbing of the second place trophy this season adds to that long list of "misbehaving." Most lasalians i know do accept defeat graciously. It's a shame that the basketball team itself does not.

Hey boss ku sa call center mas malala pa sa akin but he is one of the best in the country sa tech support. Di sa pag yayabang honestly I'm one of the top agents sa pinaka mahirap na account and tech support yan sa Libis. La sa galing sa pag english or grammar masusukat ang skill at san skul nanggaling bro

Unfortunately for you, the medium you are using to air your "win at all cost never accept second place" philosophy does put a high premium on grammar and spelling. Kaya nga text speak is frowned upon by members in this forum. Siguro naman may substantial units ng English at Filipino ang eskwelahan mo para naman ma-articulate mo ang iyong punto ng hindi pinasasakit ang ulo ng nagbabasa dito sa MTC.

Hmmm .... "creative" use of language .... undying support for the lasal basketball team .... unwavering loyalty to a school not necessarily your alma mater .....

teka, di kaya ikaw si Boom Gonzales?

I think Rabeh Al-Hussein went to a big man camp to improve his skills since 3 years in a row he is mediocre thats why i have to admit he really improve a lot. Also ateneo got a lot of HS standouts unlike Lasale they usually get players who can work as a team and train them to be good defenders. Kaya nga naka 5 Championships sunud sunud dati lasale and last year they defeated a much stronger or possibly the best UE team in the history since Caidic and Jawo era.

I still remember the first time I saw Rabeh play and it was against Adamson circa 05, i think. Butterfingers din gaya ni Doug tapos tutok na at sa laki niyang yun ayaw pa pumasok ng bola sa hoop. He's come a long way since then, ngayon UAAP MVP na. Having Coach Norman Black as mentor as well as attending the annual summer big man camp in the US has really done wonders to Ateneo's big men ... namely, Doug Kramer, Ford Arao and Al-Husseini. I just hope the winning formula continues with Justin Chua, Nico Salva and Vince Burke (at kung papalarin, pati kay Arvie Bringas). We will have good competition against RP Youth mainstay Torres who will suit up for DLSU and possibly Paredes too (buti na lang si Wright e rine-recruit ng isang Division 1 school kundi patay na kay bigote ito).

Finally, Ateneo can go toe to toe against lasalle in the recruitment wars which was the domain of lasalle since the late eighties. Eversince the Joe Lipa era, lumalaban na ang Ateneo sa recruitment ng blue-chip players. At naungusan pa ang lasalle this year with several blue-chip players taken into the fold. Salamat din sa pagkakatanggal kay Joe Lipa sa UP, kaya ayun, instead of signing up for UP, nag-Ateneo tuloy sina Salva at Burke. Swerte talaga itong season na ito.

Correction lang, naka 4 straight championships ang lasalle years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 before bowing to Ateneo in 2002. Still, 4 straight is nothing to sneeze at, kudos!

Parang bigla yata nga collapse yung sports "Program" ng DLSU Alumni Associatio, which usually bankrolls the team build up. I guess they are no match for Ateneo's Manny Pangilinan, who I understand provided the financial muscle to pirate Rabeh Al-Husseini.

From what I heard, Rabeh Al-Husseini decided to attend Ateneo through the advise of his half-brother Carlo Sharma. It seems like Sharma had a falling out with Coach Pumaren after their 2002 defeat to Ateneo. Pumaren blamed Mike Cortez for the debacle dahil nagbenta daw and castigated Cardona as well as Sharma for not playing their hearts out with hints of game-fixing. Kaya ayun, sabi ni Kuya mag-Ateneo ka na lang, thanks Coach Pumaren!

Ang dami dito nag poser na lasale daw kunwari nag aaral tapus pupurrin ateneo para lang pamuka sa lasale na talu tlaga sila at khit mga nag aaral daw dun agree kasi para sa mga atenista mas masakit na itakwil ng sarili nilang nag aaral daw kunu dun.Pa animo animo lasale pa kayu para pahiyahin ang lasale. A true lasalites don't give a damn about Atenista and most will agree with me na gutsy move ang di nila pag sipot sa walang kwentang awarding para pamuka sa ateneo na la silang ma iinsulto sa harap ng camera at la nang lasale ang namamansin sa kanila sa stadium.

Basing from your posts, di kaya ikaw ang poser na lasalista? Kasi ang hirap basahin ng posts mo, ang daming grammatical errors pati spelling ng lasal minamali pa. Flame bait ba ito para lalong parusahan ang mga natalong lasalista? You're doing your fellow lasallians a disservice by letting this immature rant to drag on. Whether you accept defeat in this UAAP season or not, the fact is you're team has been dethroned by their arch-rival Ateneo and everyone knows it. If you choose to live in a make-believe world where the greenies reign in perpetual championship bliss, is all up to you. But spare your more mature and genuine lasallians from the humiliation caused by your not-so-well-thought-of philosophy.

Kung diyos mo si Pumaren at panalo lang ang tinatanggap mo, sige pakamatay ka na ... talunan ka e, magugunaw na ang mundo para sayo (para mabawas-bawasan naman ang mga di nag-iisip sa mundo)

It's just a basketball game, if ever you wake up from your make-believe world, you would come to realize that Ateneans and lasallians live and co-exist and at times, even marry each other. So please, don't drag us into your blue and green view of the world (sa basketball lang yun during gametime), because we know better, poser.

GO ATENEO!

ONE BIG FIGHT!

sa tuesday na daw ang bonfire!

ano kaya going rate ng aircon rooms sa beach front (white beach) between october 30 - nov 4? dami na ba tao jan ngayong sem break, will we have a hard time getting beach front rooms at this time?

99+

been to mariposa cubao, nice and clean dahil bago pa, hotel type-card entry for the rooms kaya no need for bellboy assistance, cost me 400-450 at first but with a discount card, 300-350 na lang the second time, 3 hour short time rate ... mejo tago ang place compared to sogo (which is a stone's throw away) dahil nasa sidestreet siya plus may parking area na nakatago which can accomodate around five cars

A letter from afar - B movie

Ziggy Stardust- David Bowie