Valiant goal

DeMarcus Cousins (in white) | Wendell Alinea

ZAMBOANGA CITY—DeMarcus Cousins has been the poster boy of the Valientes’ bid to rule The Asian Tournament’s (TAT) Grand Finals.

But the former Sacramento Kings star is actually helping a cause that is way nobler than that.

“One way of promoting our city is by bringing NBA players. And that’s really just my goal, to help promote this city,” Junnie Navarro told reporters Saturday, ahead of his team’s winner-take-all match against the visiting Macau Black Bears.

Military stage

Ten years after a military conflict that laid siege to the city, Zamboanga has slowly gotten back to its feet. There have been a few international events here, but it was only this week that it was able to stage an international sporting showcase of this magnitude.

Cousins will be the third NBA-caliber player that Valientes has brought to the City of Flowers, following Mario Chalmers and Renaldo Balkman, who visited Zamboanga after backstopping the club in the Asean Basketball League.

It is worth noting, however, that what sets Cousins’ stint apart is that he actually played for the city, before its home crowd, and for multiple times—counting the championship game that was being played as of press time.

“I plan to come out tomorrow, play hard basketball, and try to bring a championship here,” Cousins, a four-time NBA All-Star and a 2016 Olympic gold medalist said on the eve of the clash.

DeMarcus Cousins is the biggest basketball name to see action in Zamboanga. PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL ALINEA

Navarro said there had been challenges bringing the TAT games to Zamboanga due to the city’s history of armed conflict, but with the local leaders—led by Mayor John Dalipe—coming together, the idea has become a reality.

“We told them (tournament organizers), that whatever they read about us (Zamboanga City) was a long time ago,” he recalled.

“Foreigners have been visiting, and we’ve also just held Miss Earth recently. Now everyone’s seeing that we’re safe here in Zamboanga,” he added.

Aside from putting the city under the spotlight of international sports, Navarro hopes its games would also help propel Valientes’ athletes, just as it did for former San Beda guard Peter Alfaro who is about to get his feet wet with Magnolia in the PBA.

“Mark Barroca is 38 years old, but we have Peter coming up. We know Mark has about two to three years of high [-level] play left, but it would be nice to have someone ready when it’s time to pass the torch,” he said.

UAAP Malick Diouf and former PBA players Franky Johnson, Mike Tolomia and Mac Belo—players trying to get back to elite form or finding their way back to the country’s premier league—have also been playing for Valientes, a club that has been backing softball and boxing in the past.