All the way in L.A.

Los Angeles… finally we’ve made it here! I’ve been looking forward to this trip for some time now. Not because we’re going to have a vacation, but because it’s my chance to really concentrate on training, away from all the distractions back home. We’re scheduled to have a two-week session under the Abunassar Impact Basketball camp (AIB), the same camp where some of the NBA’s greats have trained like Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Kevin Garnett, Al Harrington, Sebastian Telfair, Vince Carter, Monta Ellis, as well as other college and European professionals.

I say ‘away from all the distractions’ because this training session gives me a chance to do nothing but play basketball. This camp provides a complete training program for our individual skills, conditioning and team play. I think this trip is also a great opportunity for the team to gel and become closer to one another, which i believe will be another key ingredient to our success.

Guess what, the closest food establishment is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel. All I see are industrial warehouses that all look alike along the vicinity of the hotel. That’s how isolated we are! I hope the players don't pull-off a hunger strike!

Actually, I don’t mind just hanging out in the room with my roommate Kirk, since we’re both home bodies anyway! The only problem is that it’s so difficult to find a
cheaper alternative meal than having to eat in the hotel all the time, which costs us about $12 a meal.

Anyway, all the NBA games are being aired here (as I just watched my Hornets get creamed by the very classic Spurs team!). That Chris Paul is one amazing player!
I wish the trainers at this camp have some magic up their sleeves to give me Chris Paul-like skills! =) Another thing, I love the fact that we have free wireless internet service in our rooms! Now, I'm just really staying at my room!


I think this basketball camp is the perfect chance for me to hone my individual skills, with all the repetitive drills we’re gonna be doing here. We didn’t really have much practice time in Manila because of all the games from the Fil-Oil and Nike Summer League one after the other. With all the hype that the team and the new rookies have been receiving, I have to say that we haven’t been playing up to expectations and I believe that we can still do better. We’ve lost two games in the Fil-Oil against San Beda (who happens to be here as well) and FEU. These losses were the source of a lot of frustration and anxiety on our team. But I believe that all is well and we just need to adjust to one another a little bit. We are still trying to find the right mix between rookies and veterans. As the team captain, there’s a lot of pressure on my part to make this a ‘great’ team. My individual performance will be crucial but more than that, it's my desire to make my team mates better players through guidance and leadership. But I believe the guys will step up and come together when the time comes because these guys are winners!

Last year, we attended the same camp except in their Las Vegas branch. We were lucky enough to have seen Telfair, Gomes, “Birdman” Anderson as well as other Florida Gators like Green and Horford, in action! It’s only our first day here in LA so we’re still resting and settling down in our hotel. I can’t wait to see who we’ll be training with this time around! Will keep you all posted.