Early struggles motivate PBA draftee Giorgio Umali

MANILA, Philippines – Giorgio Umali doesn’t need to be reminded that he shouldn’t take life for granted.

A tough kid raised in Seattle, Wash., he knows how difficult life can be. For years, he watched his parents sacrifice meals over and over again so that their son could have a fulfilling dinner while they spent the night without any food after a hard day’s work. 

Giorgio Umali doesn’t need any extra motivation. 

As the 37^th overall pick in the PBA Draft and already 28-years-old, he already has a chip on his shoulder to prove those who passed on him that they made a huge mistake.

He’s going to play for incoming franchise Kia Sorentos, arguably the most scrutinized team in the PBA by pundits over the past few months because – fair or not – they will be coached and led on the playing court by Manny Pacquiao, whose recent foray into professional basketball has left many shaking their heads. (RELATED: Jai Reyes’ career finds new life with Kia Motors)

But despite all of this, the incoming PBA freshman constantly finds ways to push himself. 

He likes hearing criticism, as harsh as it could be, thrown at him as much as possible.

“The more people that’s attacking against you, the more drive there is to succeed. Not that it’s lacking ever before that,” Umali tells Rappler.

So to keep his drive at a high level, he makes sure criticism is the first thing he sees every morning when he wakes up and the first thing that greets him every time he comes home from a long grueling session in the gym or after practice with his new team.

“I’ve printed out a few articles and I’ve posted them on my wall and I’m looking for the rest that people write about KIA every day.”

But why surround himself with all the negativity wherever he goes? Why not just spend the moments he has away from basketball to get away from all the noise, maybe even take a break or two, weeks before the biggest chapter of his life kicks off?

That’s just the thing: he doesn’t want any breaks. His entire life is about the game.

“People have the right to say whatever they want to say, and they can underestimate whomever they want to underestimate. But me personally, I love it when people talk like that about me. I love it.”

“It fuels my fire that much more.”

A draft sleeper to remember

Umali loves Seattle. He grew up idolizing Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. He was delighted when the Seattle Supersonics made the Finals in 1996, and was distraught when they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. He hates David Stern for taking the franchise away and moving them to Oklahoma City and claims no city deserves a basketball franchise more than his hometown.

He adores the Seattle Seahawks, and until today remembers almost every moment when his favorite NFL team destroyed the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, 43-8, and predicted they would beat on the Green Bay Packers on NFL Opening Day, which they did on Friday, September 5, 36-16.

He grew up under the care of his family in Seattle, watched over by his extremely hard-working parents and the unconditional love of his grandparents. He played in multiple pro-am leagues in the city and also in the Drew League in Los Angeles after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University (SPU). He’s gone up against NBA players such as Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Peyton Siva, and Kenneth Faried, whom he remembers leaped over him for an offensive rebound and slam during a pick-up game, leaving him in awe despite getting caught on the wrong side of a highlight.

He played ball often with his best friend from Seattle as well – the same guy who went No. 4 overall in the same draft where he went 37^th overall.

“I’m really exited to go at Chris Banchero,” Umali said.

He clapped his hands and them smiled in anticipation: “He’s my cousin from Seattle. We grew up playing together.”

Banchero, who some pundits had going second in the draft, fell to fourth and will join an already talented Alaska Aces team loaded with guys like Calvin Abueva, Cyrus Baguio, and JVee Casio.

“We’re best of friends off the court. I’m with him all the time. But on the court, whatever happens, happens,” warned Umali, who noted in an interview with SLAM Philippines that his favorite workout with Banchero is a game to 100. One on one. Full court.

Like Banchero, who played in the Asean Basketball League (ABL), Umali has left his hometown try to make the next leap in his basketball career in the PBA. To get him prepared for the physicality Philippine basketball has to offer, he even played for two teams in the PBA D-League.

“It got me ready for all the contact,” Umali said about the league, which features collegiate players and hopefuls trying to make it to the PBA. “It was really my first dip into professional basketball so it really helped me as a player develop more as far as having that killer instinct and having control.”

Umali first got the chance to showcase his talents in the amateur league with Fruitas under the guidance of FEU head coach Nash Racela before moving to Boracay Rhum under Coach Lawrence Chiongson, who taught the young cager to be a more versatile and all-around threat, paving the way for how he plays today.

“I learned how to be more versatile there. They had me learn every position. Shoutout Coach Lawrence for helping me become the do it all type of player that I need to be,” Umali said in an interview with SLAM Philippines prior to the draft, where he admitted he had no idea on which team, if any, was going to take him.

“I didn’t know they were going to draft me, but thankfully they did. I’m really happy to be there. I practiced with them before the draft and I got some good feedback and I guess they just believed in me.”

With Kia, Umali will open his pro career under the coaching principles of player-coach Pacquiao, whom he says, “brings world-class athleticism and unmatched competitive drive and spirit.”  

But in instances where the eight-division boxing champion will do more playing than coaching, the Seattle Fil-Am native will still perform whatever is asked of the Sorentos’ assistant coach, Glen Capacio, who used to coach the FEU Tamaraws in the UAAP and the Philippine Patriots in 2012 in the ABL.

“I have faith in Coach Glen Capacio’s system and I know it’s going to work. He has a proven system of winning. I’m excited to play for a coach of that caliber.”

And despite the outside criticism for the team that has yet to play in the PBA, Umali claims the bond between him and his teammates is already strong. 

As a matter of fact, the scrutiny from critics is a huge reason why that is.

“They have fair criticism. They can say what they want,” he says about the Kia’s critics, some of whom even took a swing at the team’s moniker: Sorentos.

“But the people in that locker room are competitive, I trust all my teammates, and I know they’ll execute when it comes down to crunch time. Everybody in that locker room fights for each other. I’ve never seen a team like it before. Adversity is pushing the team closer.”

To put it more clearly:

“There’s not a dude in there that, you know, doesn’t want to be there. I’ve built a good relationship with everybody and I feel everyone in that roster is highly competitive and they understand the odds are stacked against us. So that unites us even more rather than pull us apart.”

Whether or not that chemistry will be enough to land the Sorentos multiple wins will be tough to predict. After all, the roster is composed of players picked out from the PBA Draft expansion draft, which means Kia will be headlined by rookies, guys who played low minutes for other PBA teams the past season, former D-League players, and of course, Pacquiao, who also happens to be a congressional representative for Sarangani, music artist, and much more.

Umali knows how tall of a task his squad has coming up for them, especially in the first conference of the season, where they will have to face more experienced PBA squads, some of which are former champions, while also having to deal with the never-ending barrage of media that will be inquiring about what the Pacquiao-led team is like.

But despite all the distractions, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t expect to win anyway.

“If you automatically write yourself off and say you’re going to lose a bunch of games, then you’re going to lose a bunch of games. Whatever it takes to help my team win games is what I’m going to have to do.”

And helping his team, more than any individual award, is what matters to the young player, who at 28 knows the difference between what multiple individual honors and championships can do to the legacy of a player.

“My game is really more of a facilitator, playmaker. Like I really want to get my teammates up and help them out on defense, and also to find the right player at the right time of the game. If I need to find a shooter or if a point guard needs to find me or if I need to find a big man, we’ll definitely make that happen,” he explained.

“Whatever the coach wants, I just want to be there to provide. I don’t want to come in and pretend like I’m a star. I’m really a nobody here and I’m just excited to play basketball in the best in Asia. Honestly, I’m just really happy to be here.”

He might still view himself as a nobody right now, but Umali doesn’t plan on keeping it that way. The grind and hard work will be a long, taxing process, but it’s necessary as he aims to complete his ultimate goal.

“My goal is to be a champion one day. My goal is to be a champion at the end of the day.”

“The opportunity is there and I am going to work my ass off every day. Whatever it takes, I’m going to be in the gym – the first one in and the last one out. I’m going to earn my stripes.”

“There’s no glamour here”

Umali likes staying motivated. It can come in many forms – the spotty print-outs of critical articles plastered on his wall, the outside noise he constantly hears about how the Sorentos won’t be relevant save for Pacquiao being with the team, and many more.

But nothing motivates him more than his family, let alone what they’ve gone through.

“There’s no glamour here,” Umali said without hesitation during the interview despite the bright lights of cameras and the beaming smiles of publicists, mediamen, and other guests around.

He was reserved and calm, but there was a sense of seriousness in his tone. It was clear the topic was sensitive with every word he uttered, but at the same time he wasn’t afraid to say the truth.

“There’s a lot of stuff I went through as a kid, as an adult, as a teenager. I didn’t grow up in the richest family. I didn’t have everything given to me. My mom worked for everything we had. My dad worked for everything we had. My grandparents really raised me.”

The past wasn’t easy for him, and he didn’t make an effort to hide it. He didn’t want to. What he is today is a product of his struggles of yesteryear, when he turned to basketball, which wound up playing one of the biggest, if not the largest, factors of his life.

“I’m just happy my hardwork paid off,” the humbled PBA rookie said, before opening up some more.

“My family motivates me every day, just thinking about how hard my parents worked to raise us,” he said before taking some time to gather his thoughts. 

“It’s my turn to take care of them.”

With his work ethic, relentless determination, and silent confidence, it looks like he’ll be able to do just that, while also making a name for himself in the grandest basketball league Asia has to offer. – Rappler.com