“An athlete who knows himself is unstoppable. The soul is the zone
that every athlete must strive to enter." – J.R. Moehringer
The UAAP will proclaim an 18-year old as king of college basketball. Yet the teen-ager is upset. He’s upset because his team didn’t go as far as he wanted. He’s upset because he couldn’t give his team more points. Or rebounds. Or assists. Or steals. Or blocks. Or wins.
“Next season will be a better year," Ray declares. “I can tell you that much."
What a child wants, he tries to get. Once he fails to get it, his world crumbles. Ray Parks, the son of a 7-time PBA Best Import, the cornerstone of NU’s ambitious bid for dominance, is acting like a child. And it’s a great thing. Ironically, he’ll be better because of it. Because he refuses to settle for less. Because he takes little pride in moral victories. Because a franchise player must want to, even irrationally so, win more than anyone else.
“Each time we lose, my teammates use the word ‘bawi’. I hate that word," Ray admits. “Every time somebody says that I want to say ‘I don’t want the next game, I want THIS game.’ I hate losing."
After his team misses the Final Four with six wins and eight losses, a mature player might react, “It’s only the start. Hopefully we can improve during the off-season and do better next year. What’s important is we competed in almost every game. There’s nowhere to go but up."
But Ray Parks is mature. He’s just not the kind of mature-talking player we’re used to. Some players shine because they’re humble. Ray stands out because he’s honest.
“I’ll tell you straight up what I see," Ray says. “Because I want others to be the same with me."
Ang bata hindi marunong magsinungaling. Ray Parks knows he’s good. He’s not afraid to show it. It’s the most honest way to play – if you can score, go score. Opponents know he’s good. They’re not afraid to shut him down. It’s the most honest way to defend a player ready to score 30 points in a 40-minute game.
“Ray has been double-teamed. He’s had to do more. He’s playing like an import," Bobby Parks Senior shares. “And the more he gets used to that. It’s going to make him so much better."
I’m amazed Ray Parks is still a child – albeit a man-child who can do it all. Imagine what he’ll do once he becomes a man. For now, he’s upset. Even when he makes an impossible behind-the-back pass while trying to save the ball from going out of bounds, while teammates on the bench rise from their seats to see the improbable (the scene inexplicably gets better) and his behind-the-back pass turns into an immaculate shot and no words can describe the insanity of what transpires, he fumes. Ray, as his statistics suggest, ruled the UAAP. It’s not enough. National University’s boy king wants to rule the world. —GMA News
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