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For UAAP rookies in bubble training, mix of enthusiasm and homesickness

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Rey Joble

Life inside the bubble has been tough for athletes.Especially for rookies playing for their respective collegiate teams in the UAAP men&#x27;s basketball tournament, which will finally come off the wraps later this month.For freshmen such as Orin Catacutan and Migs Pascual of University of the East and Michael Phillips of De La Salle University, bubble life is both challenging and exciting.Challenging because at a young age they are going to be away from their families to train together for a long period.Inside the bubble, the team is their family and teammates siblings. The coach, meanwhile, serves as the father figure.At first, it was a struggle for Pascual, a former member of the Batang Gilas team that played in the FIBA Asia Under-16 tournament a few years ago.The young player is known for his tight-knit relationship with his parents, Edmon and Joy Pascual, even posting on social media how much he misses his mom.&quot;Nakaka-miss din pala mapagalitan ni Joy Pascual,&quot; posted Pascual n his Facebook account while showing the screenshot of his text exchanges with his mom.Pascual, a rookie guard, is now adjusting and beginning to get settled with his Red Warriors teammates, a team to be coached by former PBA player Jack Santiago.&quot;So far, ginagawa na lang namin nagi-extra work na lang kami sa training. Then, kung wala talaga, nagni-Netflix na lang,&quot; Pascual said in a telephone interview.But the training has also been exciting for Catacutan, a 6-foot-2 swingman, another rookie playing for the Red Warriors. Unlike his other teammates, Catacutan is already a seasoned campaigner.The son of former PBA player Israel Catacutan has already saw action in various commercial leagues, including the MPBL, where he played for the Valenzuela Classic.So when it comes to being away from his family, Catacutan has gotten used to it, considering that the MPBL is a home-and-away competition, most of the time via out-of-town.&quot;Nasanay na rin,&quot; added Catacutan. &quot;Pero siyempre, iba pa rin ’yung nasa bubble kasi ang tagal mo mahihiwalay sa pamilya mo.&quot;But for the second generation player, the bubble training had somehow trained them to become more locked in in their preparation for the coming UAAP season.&quot;Mas naging focused nga kami sa training, sa tingin ko lang. So mas makakatulong ito sa amin kasi ang dami naming rookies sa team,&quot; added Catacutan.For Phillips, a promising 6-foot-8 player of the Green Archers, the bubble training is one way of developing the tight bond of the squad.Having played at Fairfield High School in Ohio before transferring to Creekside High School in Florida, where the basketball competition is a lot tougher, before last seeing action in Potter&#x27;s House Christian Academy, Phillips felt fortunate to be included in La Salle&#x27;s basketball program.&quot;I&#x27;ve done my research and I feel very happy to be included in the La Salle program,&quot; said Phillips. &quot;They took care of their athletes in the bubble. The billeting is excellent, the food is great and they really prepared for this.&quot;&quot;I&#x27;m excited to help my team this season and we were so focused in the training as we don&#x27;t have anyone, but each other. This is our family for the rest of the season.&quot; So when the UAAP season begins this May, don&#x27;t be surprised if these rookies come out strong right off the gates and display their eagerness to play.Hopefully, the sacrifices they made for the months of training and being together will be rewarded in the end.

Red Warriors and Green Archers rookies share their experience training in an environment with little in-person contact from outside.