Before Matthew Aquino signed on the dotted line to play for Shinshu in the B.League, he had one clearance that he needed to hurdle.
And it was not an easy one. He needed the nod of his godfather Buddy Encarnado, who is also the team manager of Sta. Lucia.
Encarnado had a dilemma. The Filbasket invitational tournament was just a month away from happening when the Brave Warriors made an offer to the 6-foot-8 Filipino-Japanese big man.
“Actually, sana nga totally happy ako eh. Kaya lang, it came at the point na two weeks na lang, mag-uumpisa na. Tsaka siya nawala sa akin,” shared Encarnado.
“The problem is, we have to find a suitable replacement which is very hard since nakuha na ‘yung ibang sentro.”
Back in March 2020, Aquino was a free agent after MPBL club Bacoor did not renew him. Pasig quickly swooped in and signed Aquino.
During the extended off-season, Encarnado’s staff focused on rebuilding Aquino, focusing on strength and conditioning.
Helping Matthew find his full potential was one of the goals of Encarnado. He did the same with Matt’s dad Marlou back when they were in Sta. Lucia during the early 2000s.
“Nag-training sa akin ‘yung bata for one-and-a-half years. We focused on his strength dahil mahina pa eh. Nung umalis sa akin si Matthew, talagang lean but mean na ang kanyang katawan. Puro dunk na nga ;yung ginagawa niya eh.
“I was really excited kasi second generation na ito ng mga players ko. Bale mga apo ko na ‘to kasi tatay niya [Marlou], inaanak ko sa kasal. ‘Yan ang kagandahan sa akin sa basketball because I still get excited,” continued Encarnado.
So even Encarnado felt unsure when Matthew told him about the offer he had to play in Japan. Would he sacrifice the title hopes of his team, or would he allow his godson to hone his craft somewhere else?
Ultimately, Encarnado chose what was best for Matthew.
“Kaso nung nawala si Matthew, nalungkot ako kasi nagrereklamo ‘yung coach ko (Bong Dela Cruz) na panu siya mapapalitan. Sabi ko, ‘What can I do?’” said Encarnado.
As soon as he received clearance, Aquino immediately packed his bags and hit the airport.
“But I’m happy for Matthew because he is a Japanese citizen. Kaya sabi ko, ‘Umalis ka na baka magbago pa isip ko.’”
Now, Aquino is working hard to crack the Brave Warriors’ rotation while the Realtors are set to begin their campaign in Filbasket.
And at the end of the day, all ended well for both sides.
