Pogoy: Inheriting basketball dreams

There are times when life gets in the way, when you put your dreams on hold to have a career, start a family, or do what is needed to survive. Parents often try to live out their unfulfilled dreams through their children, and are resented for it at times. Precious few are those offspring who find meaning and purpose on the same path their parents took.

This is the story of Talk N Text KaTropa guard Roger Pogoy.

“My dad really loved basketball,” Pogoy told The STAR. “He actually went to Manila to try out. His height is 6’2” and that was quite tall during his time. But he figured in an accident, got injured and that ended his basketball dream.”

Being the youngest among two girls and two boys, Roger would be trained by his father. He would line up chairs and teach the guy and his brother how to dribble around them, and put up a ring for them to play one-on-one. Every summer throughout grade school, his parents would enroll him in basketball camps. By then, his father was a seaman, so his mother would accompany him.

“I was really discovered at Salazar (Institute of Technology). But I kept on dropping out of school,” he admitted in Filipino. “We lived in Talisay and it would entail a long trip to Cebu City. I couldn’t handle it. Then I went to UV (University of Visayas) but practices were early like by 4 a.m. we’d have to train already. So I dropped again and my dad got mad at me. He said, “For the last time, what do you really want to do?” I promised to resume my studies and scholarship because UV really wanted me. I was then in first year high school.”

But that was not the last hurdle the native of Cansojong, Talisay faced. His growing-up years were full of distractions. He got to computer games, Counter Strike in particular and he skipped practice and got failing grades in his academics.

“My dad sort of sensed it. One time, he went home after bringing me to the gym. He went back to check if I were practicing in the gym or attending my class. I wasn’t,” Roger recalled. “He found me in a computer shop and got mad at me. My dad was so exasperated and said: “Just do whatever you want.”

That’s when I started working hard. My batchmates were already fourth year high school, I was still in first year. Our coach, Rudy Enterina (a former pro) told me to try out at UC (University of Cebu). UC got me, and that’s when things started to get better.”

Using fellow Cebuano Dondon Hontiveros as an example, his father stressed the value of discipline and hard work. Pogoy was eventually recruited by Bert Flores for Far Eastern University. When Nash Racela, now head coach of TNT, took over the program, things changed for the better for the underrated guard, who played behind the likes of RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo. Those who worked hard in practice got the minutes. In his senior year, the dutiful son became a star, and the Tamaraws won a UAAP championship.

But basketball was not the only dream of his father’s that Roger Pogoy has been fulfilling.

“I’ve fixed up our house. That was his dream. But since there were four of us, he wasn’t able to finish it,” Roger recalls. “My siblings were studying to be a nurse, a teacher, a seaman. So he was never able to finish our house because he was putting us through school. He was thankful that I finished the house.” By BILL VELASCO