My Little MVP

When will I be able to play basketball just like kuya?"

Just a brief background, I have two nephews whom I considered my own children; Enzo my oldest and Evo my youngest. They are growing up in a family who consistently watch basketball as their form of family bonding, and yes I'm referring to our family. With this in mind there's no doubt that these boys are passionate in playing basketball.

Enzo being the oldest of the two, he was able to join junior basketball leagues. Evo on the other hand was too young to join, but it didn't stop him from coming to his older brother's game. We often see him alongside the players assisting in giving water and giving players a pat on the back.

Whenever they got back home from playing, Evo will directly go towards me and will ask when he will be able to play in leagues. You can see the eagerness and the determination in his eyes. But since the problem was his age and the fact that he was not yet good in ball handling, I told him that he can practice first and if he can already dribble a basketball for twenty (20) times without slipping out of his hands , and maybe, just maybe he can join the next basketball league.

The next day I woke up from the sound of non-stop ball dribbling in our yard. As I peek through our window I saw a focused and determined Evo, learning how to dribble.

_{Evo when he was four years old and learning how to dribble.}

So you see, this is one of the things that we could learn from our children—their determination. They are not fond of procrastinating, when they were permitted to do something they want, they start at once. They don't need to be reminded. On my nephew's case we don't need to tell him to wake up early so he can practice. He wakes up and prepare his things on his own.

_{Practice Shooting}

My Evo never gives up. there are times when its too dark but still insists on going out and practice. If my Ma won't allow him he will wake my father, younger brother or his older brother Enzo to accompany him to the nearby basketball court. Nothing beats the persistence of a kid determined to reach his dreams.

Truth be told, Evo really got better—way more than better in playing basketball. His persistence is omnipotent. He was able to join the basketball league the next year and was chosen as one of the mystical five (Mosquito Divison)

_{Evo's first award in the world of basketball.}

Evo continues to practice up until now. Driven by his love for basketball and pumped up with encouragement from us, his family. But it was not always sunshine for this kid. He was also bullied for he was short for his age. But it didn't stop him from doing what he wants. Just last week he played his third basketball league. And he was awarded as one of the best in his team. Below are some of the pictures that was sent by my younger brother during Evo's game.

And below was the video of his iconic shot. One of our family's proudest moments.
P.S in the background you'll hear my father asking him to relax but with his voice, you'll know it's him who needs to relax.

Counting the days, because My Enzo will also be playing for junior basketball league. How I wish I can be home...

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

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