JCI Manila Basketball: The Doorway to Leading Beyond the Hardwood

I came to JCI Manila to coach and play basketball. I never expected the court to lead me somewhere much bigger.

When I first entered JCI Manila, I had only one thing in mind, to coach and play in the JCI Manila Basketball League.

I was happy being a member. I thought to myself, maybe this is enough.

Then came the years of competition. We won three years in a row, followed by a silver finish in 2025. This year, we made it to the Final Four but exited earlier than we hoped.

Looking back, I could simply say, What a journey it has been.

But another question started to cross my mind:

Is there still something more for me here?

The answer came during the recently concluded 2026 season.

As I watched the new generation of JCI Manila ballers emerge while seeing the veterans return to the league, I realized that basketball had become more than just a tournament. After spending much of my life coaching and being around basketball, I could have easily treated the league as just another competition.

But what struck me most was something beyond the game.

Brotherhood.

And more importantly, service.

That realization pushed me to become more active in the chapter. I stepped beyond the basketball court and began exploring where else I could contribute.

What I discovered was something I had always loved: teaching.

I have always had a passion for training people. So I started training everybody and anybody who wanted to learn, from Baby Jaycees and regular members to members of our sister chapters.

Training and recruitment became my thing.

With the support of our 2026 Director for Training and Business Development, Direct Vjohn Dizon, and the leadership of the Lead Beyond Board of Directors headed by President Edison Ke, along with the various Limitless commissioners and chairmen, I found myself stepping onto another kind of court.

The training and recruitment court.

Who would have thought that a simple man standing on the sidelines of the hardwood would eventually become a Limitless trainer?

I eventually became part of the PEA Secretariat for the Training Directorate as well.

Maybe faith in the JCI Manila Brotherhood taught me something I had already tried to teach my athletes: to be selfless in service.

But I have to be honest.

I grew.

I went from holding coaching boards to holding clickers for training presentations. And more recently, I found myself holding a microphone at the AREACON 2026 Public Speaking Competition.

These may seem like small changes, but for me, they represent something much bigger.

They represent a version of myself that I might never have discovered if I had stayed only on the basketball court.

Basketball taught me how to coach.

JCI Manila taught me that the same passion for developing people could be used beyond the game.

The court became a starting point, not a destination.

Of course, the nostalgia of being a basketball coach will always be there.

The championships will always be part of my story.

The three consecutive titles.

The silver finish in 2025.

The Final Four exit in 2026.

The games, the practices, the celebrations, the losses, and most importantly, the brothers I met along the way.

But when I look back at everything, awards and accolades are not really what I want to be remembered for.

Surely, awards and accolades are not my thing.

I would rather be remembered as a true brother.

As someone who was willing to help.

As someone who gave his time to learn and train others.

As someone who tried to uphold the standards of JCI Manila, not only within our chapter but when working with our sister chapters as well.

Because at some point, I realized that being a basketball coach was only one part of who I could become.

I could also be a trainer.

I could be a recruiter.

I could be someone who helps other members discover what they are capable of doing.

And that, for me, is more than basketball.

It is more than me.

Perhaps that is also what I want other members to discover.

We all come into JCI Manila for different reasons.

Some join for business. Some for networking. Some because of a friend. Some because they want to serve. And some, like me, may simply come because they want to play basketball.

There is nothing wrong with that.

But don’t let the reason you joined become the limit of what you can do.

Look around.

Try something you have never done before.

Join a training.

Volunteer for a project.

Speak in front of people.

Teach someone.

Recruit someone.

Serve somewhere you never thought you would.

You might discover a part of yourself that you never knew existed.

For me, it happened gradually.

I went from coaching athletes to training members.

From holding a coaching board to holding a presentation clicker.

From standing on the sidelines of a basketball court to standing behind a microphone.

The journey did not take me away from who I was.

It showed me who else I could become.

So to the person reading this, I hope you find your own path in JCI Manila.

Find the things that bring out the best in you. But more importantly, find the things that challenge you to become someone better than the person you were when you first walked through the door.

Because sometimes, the thing that brings you into JCI Manila is not the thing that defines your journey.

For me, it was basketball.

And basketball gave me something I never expected: a doorway to service.

I often say:

“Sumama ako sa Tama, at ako ay mas naging Tama. Sumama ka sa sumeserbisyo, ako ay natuto mag-serbisyo. Gusto mo ba sumama?”

I joined those who chose what was right, and I became better.

I joined those who chose to serve, and I learned how to serve.

Gusto mo bang sumama?

The basketball court may have been where my JCI Manila journey began.

But I have learned that the real game was never just about what happens on the hardwood.

It is about what we choose to do with the opportunities we are given, the people we meet, and the talents we have been blessed with.

And if basketball taught me anything, it is this:

The game may end, but the journey does not have to.

In the Service to Humanity.