There’s a new kid in town
Forgive me for my exaggeration, but recently, a couple of things have been making me feel old - my batchmates' graduation pictures, my younger cousins I babied growing up in front of my eyes, and that meme, which showed Eminem's now 17 year old daughter Hailey, to name a few. My experience today just added to my list - interviewing a college freshman, who had just turned 16 over the summer.
We had been let off class by noon, so I texted UP's rookie point guard Renzar Henry Asilum or Nxoi (pronounced Ensoy), to ask if I could conduct my interview earlier than scheduled. He agreed, on the condition that I go to him at the UP University Hostel. Apparently, he had already intended on taking a nap.
Sporting a simple getup of a plain tee, shorts and sneakers, Nxoi met me at the lobby. I decided to play detective and observe him extra closely. He was fidgeting with his phone the whole time, pretending to text or, probably, really texting his girlfriend, whom (and he'll most likely kill me for saying this) he always mentions on Twitter. I wondered if he was feeling awkward or just shy. Ever since I met him when I hosted the benefit dinner for the Men's Basketball Team in April, he had always been this way - well, around me, at least.
Born and raised in Davao, Nxoi's falling-in-love-with-basketball story seemed typical. His dad managed a tournament there, so, he and all his older siblings practically fell into the sport. But this guard's story was far from the usual.
One might ask why someone his age would be living without family in Manila. But Nxoi is very used to moving around. He attended three different high schools - Assumption College and Holy Child in Davao before being recruited by Ateneo de Cebu.
To top it off, he traveled to Malaysia and Vietnam during his stint with the RP under-16 youth team. To this day, he considers this time in his life one of the best experiences he's ever had and one hard to top by another basketball-related endeavor. After all, how often does one get to represent his or her country while doing something you love at the same time?
"Hindi ko makakalimutan yung first time kong kumanta ng national anthem [natin] sa ibang bansa," he recalls.
The heavily-recruited point guard definitely had a handful of options in choosing his which college to attend. But for Nxoi, there was no competition. "Nung nag-offer yung UP, diretso ako dun, kahit takot iyong parents ko sa academics," he laughs. And so far, it hasn't been a decision he's regretted.
Attribute it to his being young and carefree, but Nxoi claims he feels no pressure at all when he is tasked to carry the sometimes struggling Maroons on his shoulders. "Gusto ko lang talaga mag-enjoy sa basketball," he says, explaining how this helps him perform better. If this formula holds true, it would be safe to say that Nxoi had the time of his life playing during the Maroons' last game against the Red Warriors, where he top scored, and they finally came out victorious.
Surprisingly, with all his talent on the court, Nxoi's biggest dream is to start his own company. In fact, the Sports Science major is working extra hard to be able to shift to Business Administration.
However, in the midst of all these plans, Nxoi's priority is still to make the Final Four or win more games than last season, at the very least. To do that, he's taken Coach Ricky's instructions of always playing with fortitude to heart.
Nxoi may not be the biggest and the best player out there, but he's certainly displayed that he's more than ready for the big dogs. And even more so, he's definitely got a lot of room to grow - both in size and in basketball knowledge and skill.
So what exactly about my interview with Nxoi made me feel much older? Well, as soon as we finished, he bade me farewell and went back to his room to take that afternoon nap he had been wanting to. I had to work on my thesis. Sigh.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
Vote for Bea as your favorite Yahoo! Courtsider by sending HOOPS UP to 2222. Open to all Sun Cellular postpaid and prepaid subscribers.
