Wednesday, October 08, 2008 The other Chris is an Eagle from the south By Justine Paredes Of Sun.Star Manila
FOR a Blue Eagle who soared high in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) league, Christopher Lou “Oping” Sumalinog still has that gleam in his eyes when he talks about two things—family and basketball.
Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated long-time rival De La Salle Green Archers, 62-51, in this year’s UAAP 1st season. They won the title after a five-year drought with an impressive sweep in the battle-of-three series.
During the victory bonfire for the Eagles, Oping and his teammates were still up even past 1 a.m. to entertain a line of fans—from kids to moms—who wanted to get their autographs and pose with them before the camera.
For Oping, this could just be a preview to what the next years will hold.
Dream come true
Hailing from Cebu, it had always been Oping’s dream to pursue his love for basketball in Ateneo. He started his varsity career in Don Bosco Technological School, Labangon when he was in the fourth grade.
Coming from a family of basketball players, he discovered at a young age his passion for the game and later on decided this is what he wanted to do all his life.
Oping’s father Hermes Sumalinog is a University of the Visayas (UV) hoops legend and his older brothers—Michael Anthony and Hermes Jr.—are players of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers and the Mapua Cardinals, respectively The 19-year-old cager admitted that while in high school, he never thought he would be able to set foot in one of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines, much more to play for the most sought-after team in the university level.
“Sa amo-a sauna, ang Ateneo kay di maabtan, murag taas kaayo’s tanan (Before, Ateneo for us was unreachable, it was so ‘up there’),” Oping confessed.
He recalled when he was nine years old that while playing basketball with his dad, siblings, and some priests, they tease him he would play with the Blue Eagles when the time comes.
Reality
The joke turned into a reality when he was recruited to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. In 2006, he was admitted to the team and after a year of tryouts, he became part of it.
When asked how getting into the team felt like, Oping could not quite find the words to express how grateful he was for the opportunity, similar to the feeling when playing in the Araneta during UAAP season.
Describing what it’s like playing amid a frenzied crowd of a jampacked Araneta coliseum makes him say only three words—an adrenaline rush—particularly when the boys in blue would play against the De La Salle Green Archers, the Blue Eagles’ biggest rival.
When the adrenaline dies down and when there is free time though, Oping makes it a point to have some time alone to reflect on his own and to pray. “Mag muni-muni, meditation, hilig man ko ana (I’m fond of reflecting and meditating).”
Family guy
Oping said his inspiration and motivation before going into any battle on the court is his family.
He considers it a big sacrifice for his parents to allow him to live in faraway Manila to pursue his dream. He knows that him being away from home is not easy for them, considering that he and his family members are very tight.
“They inspire me to work hard, to study hard, they make me want to be responsible in everything that I do, because of course, I’m older now and my parents are getting old as well,” the 6 foot 3 inch small forward said.
Oping is also not the party boy-type and he observes discipline by living a healthy lifestyle. When asked if he drinks, his reply was, “occasionally.”
Home buddy
For a career, which sometimes obliges him to go out at night and party, this homeboy prefers to just hang out at the dormitory and talk to his closest friends—who are also from the province and who also speak his native Bisaya—until the wee hours.
“Ang ako-a, mas malingaw man ko’g kanang naa ra sa dorm, unya mag storya storya ra sa (akong mga amigo) (I get more fun out of just staying at the dorm, and just talking with my friends),” he remarked.
“Storya ra gyud ang kalingawan, kay sa dorm wa man gu’y TV...di man sad ko tig-laagan gud (Talking to my friends is already fun for me, and there’s no TV in the dorm...I don’t go out much),” Oping added with a chuckle.
On balancing his academics, basketball, and social life, Oping says it is all about priorities.
“Buhaton lang jud kung unsa’y dapat buhaton karon. Mag set ka’g priorities bitaw (I just do what needs to be done. I set my priorities),” he asserted.
When asked what his plans are after college, Oping firmly says he wants to live in Cebu, as he prefers the lifestyle in his hometown and so he can be close to his family again.
Love for the game
Oping has already gone far in living his dream.
Being part of the winning team in 2008, he could still remember the last two minutes before the final buzzer, which he describes: “Sa last two minutes pa lang, akong paminaw murag lain na kaayo bitaw...syempre kay nag-expect na ta nga mudaug ba...confident ko (nga makadaug) kay salig pud sa among sistema ba, unya sa mga coaches namo...salig lang sa ilaha, sunod lang sa game plans namo. (During the last two minutes, the feeling was very strange because everyone was expecting a win. I was confident that we would win because I trusted our system, and our coaches...we trust them, and we followed our game plans.)”
With three more playing years with the Blue Eagles, Oping for sure will have more of those adrenaline-pumping moments. Who knows by that time, he may be at the center of all the frenzy.
Basketball is more than a future career for Oping. His love for the game surpasses his desire to play for the big leagues such as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
When asked what he could have been if he weren’t a basketball player, he shook his head vigorously, an indication that there is nothing else that he wants to do, saying “Di ko ka imagine wala’y basket ba...basig kung ma tiguwang nako (mao gihapon akong ganahan buhaton) (I can’t imagine life without basketball, even when I get old (this is what I still want to do).”
