AVID readers of this column (yes, all three of you) would remember that I wrote about how I attempted to play basketball when I was young. As I’ve written, I can’t exactly remember what happened during these attempts, but I’m pretty sure their number couldn’t have exceeded the fingers of one hand.
I tried, I swear. But maybe I must have slapped the behinds of my teammates, or gave them a glance that lingered a second longer, making them uncomfortable to invite me to play. Kapal nila! I was too young back then! Hahaha.
Good thing Ricci Rivero of the UP Fighting Maroons didn’t become my teammate then. He is not the most handsome but oooh…does he ooze sex appeal. You would have to pick my mind from the gutter a billion times if I stare at him. My poor sister would have had to bail me out of jail for attempting to harass him.
Thank God we didn’t cross paths, or else Ricci wouldn’t have been able able to tell his inspiring story of passion and sacrifice. You see, Ricci, along with Rhenz Abando of the UST Growling Tigers and Ange Kouame of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, are the focus of the iWant original sports documentary Dayories, which features the grit and grind of these stellar athletes and what it took for them to make an impact in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the country’s premier collegiate league.
“We were naturally excited because iWant and ABS-CBN Sports have a similar objective in giving sports fans stories that inspire. It was also a great next step since iWant already provides the livestream UAAP experience. Fans will now get to know UAAP players through deeper storytelling,” shared ABS-CBN Sports Digital Head Mico Halili.
The first episode, which is now streaming on iWant, focuses on the big man from the Ateneo de Manila University. Born and raised in Ivory Coast in Africa, Ange has been living in the Philippines since 2016 to get his education and pursue his NBA dream.
The 21-year-old immediately won the respect of the UAAP community in UAAP Season 81, where he won Rookie of the Year and helped his team defend their title, overcoming the language barrier and the difficulty of being away from his mother.
This season, he has been an unstoppable force inside the paint, and one of the main reasons behind Ateneo’s unblemished record in the recently concluded UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
The second episode features highly touted small forward Ricci, who shares the challenges he encountered transferring schools from the De La Salle University to the University of the Philippines Diliman, starting all over again in terms of his academics and adjusting his game to fit in a team loaded with talent and alphas in the court. Outside the court, the spotlight continues to focus on the Tourism major, who’s also a product endorser, and a budding actor and host.
Viewers will also get to know more about Rhenz, a La Union native whose meteoric rise from being an unknown recruit to one of the league’s most exciting players is one of this season’s best storylines. The rookie’s rumored transfer mid-season gave him his first taste of the downside of fame, but with the help of his team he was able to regain his focus and made it to his first finals appearance.
They all left home, sacrificed comfort, put in extra work, in pursuit of a goal and a lifelong dream. Along the way, they found success and, more importantly, they found a new home and new family.
Watch Dayories, which is available now on ABS-CBN’s streaming platform iWant. I plan to watch this weekend and my remote control better be prepared for a beating, as I am sure I would keep on pressing the rewind button just to bask on Ricci.