Photo courtesy of Kevin C. Tatco
Everybody witnessed the riveting confidence that Ryan Buenafe had after hitting the triple that gave the Blue Eagles their third straight championship. Flaunting his jersey with a smirk of victory, #13 gave the Ateneo community a glimpse of the Blue Eagles’ promising future.
Yes, some issues seemed as if they’d never grow tired of him. Weight problems and academic inadequacy hounded him annually, but he was always there as a basketball player, confident in taking on the Herculean task of carrying a team with no real marquee player on his stubby shoulders.
This season, however, Buenafe and his confidence are nowhere to be found. Through the thick of summer, the team lost him.
Personal issues and roster spots headlined the ruckus. Blame the weight issues, they said. Blame his academic struggles, they said. Sources many considered to be reliable and knowledgeable regarding his situation minced words, careful not to add fuel to a flame that may potentially consume any team’s combustible basketball reputation, while avid UAAP fans remained in the haze of controversy.
Uncanny omission
Rumors spread sometime around the end of March just before the FilOil Flying V Premier Cup had started. Word was that Buenafe was not poised to return to the lineup for unknown reasons.
What started out as murmurs of losing last year’s Finals MVP eventually amplified into diverse tales—some legitimate, others ludicrous. Even though the school insisted that Buenafe had been burning the midnight oil the entire summer, those in the know were discontent with what they were hearing.
The basketball blogosphere was ablaze, with different forums reporting different accounts. Some personal blogs went anon to tell of their own take on the story, while relieving accountability. Different versions of the story showed intense suspicion, but the team’s management stuck to their word.
When the FilOil tournament kicked off, league officials released a magazine where all teams’ official rosters could be found. Nico Salva, Justin Chua, Frank Golla—all Buenafe’s batch mates and Blue Eagle regulars—were penciled in, but Buenafe was not, along with Art Dela Cruz, Chris de Chavez and Jeric Estrada, who were left out due to academic deficiencies.
In a press interview after winning their first preseason championship, Coach Norman Black said, “We seem to be losing players right and left. Art’s not here anymore and Ryan’s not here.”
At least, one rumor—that Buenafe and Dela Cruz were no longer with the team—was confirmed.
Thrill of the chase
Another batch of rumors came to the fore after the preseason, ones which were geared toward the upcoming UAAP season.
Buenafe was rumored to have been seen watching a San Sebastian Stags’ game, which swelled into a possibility of him returning to his high school alma mater and playing out the rest of his eligible collegiate years there.
Other rumors had him skipping college and grooming up for a professional career in the PBA, a rumor which made the most sense for Buenafe at the time, assuming allegations were spot-on. After all, UE mainstays Paul Lee and Ken Acibar, along with UP cager Joshua Saret and FEU big man Reil Cervantes, opted to forego their last years of eligibility and instead play in the PBA’s Developmental League.
Two Philippine Star articles dated June 22, 2011 reported that the Blue Eagles had indeed dropped Buenafe because his 240-pound weight was disproportionate to his 6’4” frame, which is feasible in every sense of the word, considering such vital statistics would yield a Body Mass Index of 29.2. In layman’s terms, that’s grossly overweight.
The veracity of different accounts was a problem. Chasing down interviews was another.
Days after guard Bon Jovi Cipriano filled the roster spot vacated due to the departure of prized recruit Mark Tallo, an interview with Buenafe was scheduled last July 7, to be held at 5:30 PM at Café Azul.
Come 5:45 PM, Buenafe was a no show. He could have been training in the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center, but only players from the official UAAP lineup and some team officials were present.
One team official spoke. The source, who refused to be named, said that Buenafe was incredibly shy and was about 40 pounds overweight. He quipped sternly that the former NCAA Juniors MVP would probably refuse to comment on whatever transpired during the summer.
Buenafe sent word at around 6:15 PM, apologetic and willing to reschedule the interview the following day. He suggested that the interview be held at Alingal Hall, a secluded building near the Cervini and Eliazo dormitories. Jun Dalandan, Ateneo’s Director for Alumni Relations, said that this was where Buenafe would stay for periods of time to escape the vicissitude of both his academic and varsity commitments.
Upon his arrival, another rumor was confirmed: he was, in fact, overweight. Dressed in stereotypical basketball player attire, his pudgy bag of bones filled out his XXL shirt well.
Elephant in the room
It was awkward at first. But some topics were too ominous not to discuss, and everyone and their mother knew where the interview would eventually lead to.
Tension mounted with every question, as Buenafe answered in comfortable, fluid Filipino. With each exchange of words eking away at another, it finally came to a point when the question everyone was raring to ask had surfaced:
“Were any of the allegations over the summer true?”
Thankfully, the interview didn’t end in an impasse.
“Wala nga. Medyo natatawa lang ako kasi hindi naman totoo at wala naman talagang kaso. Okay lang sa akin. Ganun talaga ang mundo ng basketball, magsasawa rin ‘yang mga taong nagsasabi niyan. [Nothing, really. I just laugh about it because it wasn’t true and there wasn’t any case filed. It’s all right with me. That’s how the basketball world works. People will eventually tire of talking about it],” he said, with a slight chuckle.
Validating his academic troubles, he continued, “This summer, all I did was focus on my academics. I was able to reach the required QPI, but I had to earn every grade. I only pulled through towards the end of summer. I got too stressed with school, and when June came, I struggled with conditioning. That’s why I wasn’t able to play with the team during the FilOil tournament.”
Asked about Art Dela Cruz and their relationship, he said, “We weren’t able to talk anymore after summer since he had already left.”
Buenafe’s answers slammed absurd rumors. He answered earnestly and consistently, expressing his desire to play in every other answer. His absence due to his weight and academic problems were the team’s reasons for leaving him out of the roster and his answers verified the same.
Tiger Woods. Kobe Bryant. More recently, the Azkals. These athletes kept playing, chipping their way back to their sport in the midst of controversy. Whether or not they reclaimed their names was insignificant; what was important was that they continued trying—that they continued playing.
To keep playing was Buenafe’s intent all along. He said that Coach Norman Black had already told him to get ready for next season as early as now, and it turns out that he tentatively has a contingency plan for the next UAAP season, aching to step on the court and sink hoops.
Uphill battle
“This coming September and October, I plan to join the PBA D-League. As of now, I can’t train with the team since I might mess up the team dynamic. I’m on my own training regimen for the next three months. I need to lose weight,” he said in Filipino.
In case anyone was wondering, his short to-do list includes the following:
Get back on track with academics.
Get his conditioning back.
Get his roster spot back.
Buenafe and his confidence are nowhere to be found—in the UAAP’s hardwood floors, at least. As much as he believes in his teammates’ capabilities to bring a four-peat to Loyola Heights, he must now instill that same belief in himself.
This year will no doubt be a tumultuous one for him. There will be more games to sit out, more pounds to lose, more tests to pass and more media interviews to sit through.
This year poses the challenge to take on another game—a mental one. The books he reads must weigh more than the food he eats. People will ask the same questions over and over like broken records.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga naniwala sa akin at nagtanggol sa akin. Sana palaruin pa nila ako next year. [I’m thankful for those who believed in me and defended me. Next year, I hope they still let me play],” Buenafe said firmly. “Kahit kailan, ‘di ko naisip na iwanan ang Ateneo. [Not once did I think of leaving Ateneo.]”
No player in Philippine amateur basketball history has been more successful than Ryan Buenafe. After leading the Staglets to a three-peat in the NCAA, he made winners of the Eagles in the UAAP. Six straight titles—but beyond that, what defines Buenafe the most is an indomitable will to keep coming back for more.
The Ateneo community trusted him when the ball was in his hands. He hopes for the same community to give him the ball again, and allow him to prove his naysayers wrong in the process.
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