For Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Erika Dy, work has never been dull.

In fact, plotting the roadmap of one of the biggest national sports associations (NSAs) in the country makes the 43-year-old official excited and grateful for the opportunity to improve the game she truly loves.

From being a player at Ateneo de Manila University to a coach to a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) official, chief implementer of the country’s hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup to becoming an SBP official, Dy is always happy whenever basketball is involved.

“Honestly, I’m fortunate because even if our work here at SBP is serious, at the end of the day, I’m still a basketball fan,” Dy said in the latest episode of “Off The Court,” the weekly online sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE.

“Basketball is my passion. I don’t see it as a job. I wake up at 6 a.m. to get to the office at 8:30 a.m.”

Dy said she is so into her job that she sometimes gets sad when it’s time to go home, especially during her stint as deputy event director of the FIBA World Cup.

“I remember there were days, when we were preparing for the World Cup, I would be sad if it was already 6 p.m. because I would go home and there would be no work on the weekend,” Dy recalled.

“That’s my mindset coming into SBP. It’s really a service to the country and to our fellow basketball enthusiasts.”

Humble roots

Coming from a family of politicians, Dy took up a law degree not because she wanted to engage in courtroom debate, but because she wanted to be sharp in managing people.

“I always dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but I never pictured myself in the courtroom,” Dy said.

“I wanted to use my skills as a lawyer in business and management matters.”

During her stints as the licensing committee chair and managing director in the UAAP and as assistant athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team of Ateneo, Dy gained solid connections that paved the way to where she is today.

“My experience in the UAAP was very good. I kept in touch with them and had close ties with them,” Dy said.

“The camaraderie in the UAAP board is good and you can say that the officials had the athletes in mind whenever they made a decision. That’s a good environment to be in when you are with athlete-centric individuals.”

The bond she forged with the basketball old-timers will be crucial for Dy as the SBP gears up for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

She is using her connection to be in constant communication with UAAP executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag and other school representatives so that young stars like Mason Amos and Mike Phillips of De La Salle University will be given the green light to play in the prestigious biennial meet.

Work and play

Beyond basketball, Dy finds time for golf, even if her busy calendar limits her swings.

“Not as much as I want. Actually, because our tournaments are one after the other, in the last two or three months, I only got hit three times,” said Dy, who is always seen working on her swings and putts at the Alabang Country Club inside Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City.

“But I would like to play at least once a week. That’s the ideal or the goal. My index is 13 right now.”

Dy said she would consult with former executive directors like Sonny Barrios as well as other NSA leaders to help with her job at SBP. Through these consultations, she was able to come up with wise decisions and better judgment that is crucial in running the day-to-day operations of the federation.

“I don’t have a single mentor, but I try to learn from everyone I cross paths with, actually,” Dy said, adding that the wisdom of her predecessors like current Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio and Reunald “Sonny” Barrios helps her do her job more effectively.

“One of the first things I did when I was appointed as ED is I went to all three former EDs. We had lunch or dinner, I talked to them, got their thoughts, and their advice. I’m happy that our lines are open and I can still talk to them, especially PSC chairman Pato Gregorio.”

“In fact, ED Sonny was in the office yesterday because he still helps out with the membership of SBP,” Dy said.

“He’s our chairman of our membership committee. So, they help a lot. Of course, there’s MVP (SBP chairman emeritus Manny Pangilinan), whose knowledge and wisdom are really unmatched.”

True enough, being the woman at the top of the most important sports federation in the country is never easy.

But for Dy, it’s never been difficult. She’s fulfilling her role one dribble at a time.