Happy Birthday, Peter “Apet” Jao ( Feb 13 )

PETER JAO
Peter Jao could have made the pro league had he wanted b. Two PBA ballclubs were actually interested in him but he did not seek his release papers from the Basketball Associa- tion of the Philippines (BAP) for the simple reason that he still wanted to play for the national team one more year. And true enough, the 23-year old, 6-0 guard from Cebu City, has been named to the national pool by coach Derick Pumaren and will most likely make the actual team that will take part in the Southeast Asian Games and the ABC in Beijing Apet, as he is fondly called, is the fifth of six kids (Dadong, Marichu, Marilou, Pol, Apet, and Charles) of Johnson Jao and the former Catherine Bugtay. His sister Marilou, a former national volleyball player, is the wife of Shell's Jay Ramirez. Jo spent two years with the University of San Jose Recoletos high school team under Manuel Baring and then played another two years with the USJR Jaguars under Yayoy Alcoseba. Aside from Sta. Lucia, other squads he played for were Golden Sun and Lhuillier. A Marketing undergraduate, Apet says that he was intro- duced to basketball by his dad who was an ardent fan of the sport in Cebu City. "Marami rin akong natutuhan kina coach Nat Canson at Nemie Vilegas. They polished my fundamentals," said Apet whose main weapon is grim determination. In fact, during a brief stint of the National team in the PBA last year, Apet showed everyone he could make it big in the pro league. "Sanay ako sa laro sa Cebu. Talagang physical ang game sa PBA kaysa sa amateur. Iba ang tawagan doon. Sa amateur kailangan break jump ka sa drive mo dahil kung hindi, tatawagan ka ng charging," said Apet.  "Plano ko talaga next year pa ako aakyat sa PBA dahil maraming kasabay ngayon. Matatabunan ka lang doon," added Apet, a close friend of former USJR teammate Cre- sencio 'Dondon' Ampalayo. "Hindi ko naman sinasabing gusto ko sa Añejo. Kahit anong team ang kumuha sa akin, okay lang." Actually, Apet often seeks advise from Ampalayo on how to improve his game. "Tinuturuan ako ni Dondon ng sidestepping sa lay-up para hindi ma-charging. Maraming ibang bagay pa na sinasabi si Dondon. Sumusunod naman ako kasi I believe para sa kabutihan ko naman 'yon." Apet weighs 180 lbs and is an avid fan of Boston Celtics Larry Bird. "Tingin ko marami pa akong dapat matutunan sa amateur ranks. Maybe next year, handang-handa na ako para sa PBA."