Before the Whistle: The journey of DAVRAA Basketball players to Palaro ‘26
by: Denzel Caliao
Soon the referee blows the pipe, scoreboards are awakened, and the court is filled with names the crowd wants to reign then Palaro will begin but, it long started even before the buzzer’s noise.
After last year’s Palaro the DAVRAA team faced a lot of recognition, pressure, and challenges but their faith went over those obstacles, shaping them stronger, fearless, and motivated for the upcoming Palaro 2026 at Agusan on May 25.
Though players were granted different kinds of awards, they stayed humble which brought them to play outside the country during November for the ASEAN Games at Brunei—a seesaw game that they clutched overtime by three points, claiming another trophy. With all of these, the players gained their names on the headlines, inviting them to continue their studies in Ateneo de Manila University, and even receiving a call to become a part of Gilas Pilipinas. However, not everything was a victory, a lot of conflicts were also faced by the players.
After the exciting news of Rene Baterbonia’s recruitment for Gilas it was soon cut off. But despite the news and comments, Baterbonia treated it as fuel to practice and persevere everyday to prove what he can show in Palaro after all it will be held at Agusan—his hometown.
After months of training they are still preparing for the big game with multiple off campus games that made their bond stronger and invincible, waiting to own the court—to defend their title, to mark another history for these history makers.