In the Philippines, where the locals have an unconditional love for basketball, one could always expect a space dedicated just for the game.
No town or barangay could afford to miss it. Be it a rough road, asphalt, hard wood, or a multi-purpose one, just look for it around the corner and you will find it. So long as there’s a hoop, it’s good to go. No flood can even stop the Filipino spirit.
In reality, the hoop culture in Batanes is more than just the game itself. The courts here are different as compared to the ones you see in Manila—with goats feeding on the sides and acacia trees dotting the streets, clouds piling up in the backdrop, plus a breathtaking scenery of the sea — everything contributes to this tiny curious haven in the northernmost part of the Philippines.
Apparently, an Ivatan dream to pursue basketball as a career remains to be just that, a dream. It’s too risky to become a reality, locals say.
Batanes is yet to see a local who will leave the island to be a basketball player and probably make a name for himself.
Maybe not today, but maybe in the future.
This is Batan, your entry point to Batanes.
The love of sport transcends all … love to get out and playing some ball myself!
Played it before during high school intrams and we were like holding and dribbling coconut ball instead of basketball. All girls team lol ?