Ranidel Jr. chases success on volleyball court after hoops stint
It’s rare for a basketball player to shift to volleyball. Even rarer if that athlete is the son of one of the finest basketball players to ever play in and for the country.
Ranidel De Ocampo Jr., the son and namesake of the PBA and Gilas Pilipinas legend, is looking to make his mark in volleyball after trying his luck in basketball.
The 16-year-old De Ocampo played a second sport for Ateneo in UAAP Season 87 when he suited up for the Blue Eagles in the boys’ volleyball tournament after a stint with the basketball squad in the inaugural junior high school basketball tournament.
The second-generation student-athlete has been enjoying his time as a middle blocker for Ateneo. But he admitted that he still has a lot to work on since shifting to volleyball last summer.
“I’m happy that I am improving somehow,” Ranidel Jr. told the UAAP media team. “I still need to clean up my work because I am just new [to the sport]. [I just need to] work more to further improve my game.”
The 6-foot-6 De Ocampo admitted that his decision to switch sports wasn’t easy—more because of personal reasons.
“It was difficult to leave basketball because I felt like I didn’t want to disappoint [my parents and my coaches],” De Ocampo said. “I apologized and told them that I needed to, chose to, shift [sports].”
“My parents were the ones who influenced me to try basketball. And I tried and pushed myself in basketball but eventually, it felt like I couldn’t do it,” added the Ateneo standout, who said part of his decision to leave basketball was watching his sisters, Stephanie and Madelaine, have the time of their lives playing volleyball.
“I realized I enjoy playing volleyball,” he said.
As it turned out, though, he didn’t need to worry. Ranidel Sr. was supportive of his son’s decision, even sharing some reminders.
“He told me to just keep working because the moment I stop, there will be a huge [slide in my game]. So focus, work, enjoy and listen to my coaches,” De Ocampo said.
It was Ateneo boys coach Babes Castillo who first urged De Ocampo to try volleyball after watching him play in a Jesuit Athletic Meet in laguna.
“He talked to my former classmate to ask me to try the sport. When I tried it, coach Babes talked to me and said that I seemed to enjoy the training and that if I wanted to give it a try, I was welcome to do so,” De Ocampo recalled.
The Ateneo middle blocker, currently the league’s seventh-best blocker with 12 kill blocks to go with 17 attacks and an ace, said he is still adjusting to the speed, mental game, team communication, and intensity of volleyball as the Blue Eagles hold a 1-8 record.
He admitted carrying some of the things he learned at basketball into the volleyball court. De Ocampo also isn’t sure if volleyball will be his final stop as an athlete. He knows he could always return to basketball or, if schedule permits, suit up for Ateneo in both sports.
What he knows, though, is that he has rediscovered his joy while playing on the taraflex.
“I still think about it, if I made the right decision to leave basketball or if I left the game the right way,” he said. “But for now, I am enjoying my volleyball stint.”
