Tags: Basketball, NCAA, UAAP
By Marjorie Gorospe
SAN JUAN, METRO MANILA–We already know the stories of most of the prominent players and high-profile coaches in Philippine basketball, but rarely do we hear or read about the stories of others who make basketball exciting such as Rolly Manlapaz.
Rolly is a veteran basketball “barker”, using his booming and now familiar voice at courtside to “announce” a 3-point shot, a foul committed by a player or by a coach, a player substitution, and a team timeout, among others.
From being a radio announcer, Rolly started his journey as a public address announcer also known as game barker at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 1998.
Today, he is also the game barker of some of the most exciting games at the collegiate league in addition to his stint at the PBA. As a game barker, he gets to see the game from the front row for free and he gets to know every team.
“I remember back then, I used to do everything just to get a ticket of the game. Now, others look up to me and even ask me to help them have a ticket,” he says in jest.
Rolly, however, says that a barker’s job is not very easy, and that one should familiarize himself with important details such as basketball rules and jargons.
“I’m an avid fan of basketball so I am already familiar with the jargons they used, however, having the knowledge in basketball is still not enough and is totally different from playing it,” he says.
Rolly shares that aside from the jargons, he also familiarizes himself with the names of each players at least one week before the game. This is not easy, because unlike the PBA, there are a lot of rookies from the collegiate leagues such as the UAAP and NCAA.
“I fear to commit mistakes that is why I memorize all the rules and even names because I cannot excuse ‘being human’ with this job,” he says.
He shares that there was one substitution incident during a heated La Salle versus Ateneo championship, which was not his mistake but the blame was pointed on him.
“I never want that to happen again even if it wasn’t my fault and especially if it will affect the game because the crowd also relies on my announcements,” he says , adding that he is also sometimes accused of being biased because he is from Ateneo.
As a long time observer of collegiate basketball leagues, he says student players must realize that it is still their degree that will most likely bring long-term success.
“They must be more disciplined in their game and in their studies because their basketball career may be gone when they get injured but the diploma will always be their best passport to success.”
And as for aspiring barkers, he suggests that those who want to follow his footsteps must prioritize God and learn from their idols.
“Try to emulate your idols, but eventually develop your own style.”
(This story also appears on Yahoo! Fit To Post)
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