Mission accomplished: PLDT Home ends nationwide basketball-inspired series with PBA stars mentoring young guns

Mission accomplished: PLDT Home ends nationwide basketball-inspired series with PBA stars mentoring young guns | Daily Tribune

The beauty of sports is how it can make people from all walks of life come together. It’s even more with basketball, perhaps the biggest sport in a hoop country like the Philippines, and how it connects individuals, communities, and an entire nation. Basketball has launched careers, employed industries, entertained fans, and most of all, inspired the youth. This remained the most evident with PLDT Home’s Fiber Fastbreak series – a recently concluded month-long campaign that celebrated the sport and the Filipinos’ love of the game.

Reaching key regions across the Philippines, PLDT Home Fiber Fastbreak made its stops in Cebu, Davao, and Metro Manila. From April to May, the campaign featured action-packed events that connected top basketball stars to their roots while getting them closer to the hoop fans. Ultimately, PLDT Home Fiber Fastbreak became a massive opportunity for elite athletes and coaches to reach out to young players and provide them with invaluable wisdom on and off the court.

PLDT Home kickstarted Fiber Fastbreak at SM Seaside Cebu, flying out some of the standouts playing in Manila back to the Queen City of the South. Gilas Pilipinas star Carl Tamayo and TNT Tropang Giga hotshots Robert “RR” Pogoy and Calvin Oftana, who all hail from Cebu, returned home with ace player Kib Montalbo to reconnect with fans. Former PBA hero and national team sharpshooter Dondon Hontiveros, now serving as Cebu City vice mayor, also joined the festivities. Interacting with fans from the region, the athletes led the fun and games both at the newly reopened PLDT Store and at Gamefest 2024.

“Coming home to Cebu makes me remember how I started my basketball career, and how far I’ve come thanks to this sport,” said Tamayo, a Talisay, Cebu native who played in high school with the Adamson Baby Falcons and then the National University Bullpups before making a name in the UAAP Seniors with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. In 2022, he led the collegiate squad that would eventually give the state university its first men’s basketball trophy since 1986. Having played professionally in Japan and now under Coach Tim cone’s tutelage, Tamayo is one of Cebu’s youngest and most prized talents.

“I play to honor my family, especially my departed dad, who played for the University of Southern Philippines Foundation,” he said. “I owe a lot of my growth as a player to him, and I hope I keep doing him proud.”

Afterwards, PLDT Home headed farther south for the second leg of Fiber Fastbreak. The brand flew in Mindanaoan stars in TNT Tropang Giga players Gryann Mendoza from Davao City and Glenn Khobuntin and John Paul “Poy” Erram from Cagayan De Oro City. PLDT Home also welcomed TNT idol Jayson Castro and PJ “The Scoring Apostle” Simon, both multi-awarded pro athletes who eventually made a mark in the national team. Following the first leg of the series, the athletes led the meet-and-greet sessions with fans and enthusiasts at the PLDT Home pop-up booth inside Gaisano Mall and then at PLDT and Smart Store Ponciano.

“It is my utmost pleasure to be connecting with fans and supporters back in my homeland. Basketball is my first love and will always be my home,” said Simon, who retired from the PBA in 2020 and has since been based in Davao as the new Pilipinas Super League Deputy Commissioner for Mindanao. A PBA icon at 43, he played with the Magnolia Hotshots from 2014 to 2020. He became a part of the franchise’s 2013-2014 Grand Slam season, sweeping the PBA Philippine Cup, Commissioner’s Cup, and Governor’s Cup in a single season.

Pushing the imperative of reaching out to far-flung communities to discover more athletes, he said, “Davao and the rest of Mindanao are a gold mine of rising basketball talent, and I want to help spread the word and give more opportunities to our young players here.”

PLDT Home conducted its last stop in Manila. As a fitting conclusion, the country’s leading telco and digital services provider staged a basketball camp in the morning and a 3x3 tournament in the afternoon – both led by some of the PBA’s most decorated players then and now.

PBA champions Rico Maierhofer, Cyrus Baguio, Jerwin Gaco, and Ryan Araña and fellow pro league titleholders Poy Erram and Gryann Mendoza from TNT Tropang Giga headlined the momentous event, getting on the ground to mentor young basketball aspirants about the game. Basketball enthusiasts and content creators Mikee Reyes and Tin Gamboa hosted what would ultimately become an entertaining yet inspiring session of masters teaching students – MVPs training future MVPs.

“The future of Philippine basketball is bright right now. I see so many young players that have the drive to level up their game, and that’s so exciting to see,” said Maierhofer, a former UAAP champion and two-time PBA champion. “It’s great to have events that connect to different basketball-loving cities across the country. And it’s an even better experience to guide young players.”

“We’re more than delighted to see the future unfold right before our eyes,” added Baguio, a three-time PBA champion.