LONDON – Big man Ronaldo “Jude" Carmona gets the ball inside the shaded lane and powers his way into the basket.
This was a familiar scene during Carmona’s days in local cage leagues – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Nowadays, the 6-foot-8 former San Miguel Beerman makes those moves in a less glamorous league in the British capital. Though the opponents he defies are not in the caliber of an Asi Taulava or an Erik Menk, for Carmona, it still presents the same good feeling.
Now 32 years old, Carmona enjoys playing his role as the tower of power for one of the teams in a league called KAMPI (Kapisanan ng mga Manlalaro sa Inglatera), which was organized by a group of Filipino old-timers based here.
“Para sa akin kahit hindi na kasing level ng PBA o sa PBL, masaya na ako (I’m still happy even if the games are not the same level as in the PBA or PBL)," said Carmona, who’s been living in London with his wife and two kids for the last six years.
“Gusto ko ring ma-encourage ko iyung mga batang player at tulungan din sila na ma-develop ang skills nila sa paglalaro (I want to encourage the younger players and help them develop their playing skills)," he added.
Carmona used to have a promising basketball career in the Philippines – until the influx of Filipino-foreign players displaced him and several other homegrown cagers.
He played for the Perpetual Help Altas in the NCAA and was part of the Welcoat team that won back-to-back PBL titles in 1999 and 2000. He joined the pro ranks in 2000, suiting up for San Miguel for the next three years but struggled to get playing time as much of the exposure went to Fil-Ams in the roster.
As such, Carmona decided to pack his bags for London, where his wife works as a nurse at Wellington Hospital in Epson, Surrey.
“Dahil madalang na ako nagagamit at lumiit na rin ang playing time ko, ini-request ko na magpa-trade sa ibang team pero hindi nila ako pinansin. So after nun, inisip ko na ang future ko kaya nabuo sa isip ko na sumunod sa asawa ko dito (Since I am seldom used and my playing time declined, I requested to be traded into another team but they won’t release me. So, I decided to follow my wife in England)," he recalled.
A management graduate at Perpetual Help, Carmona has found work as a care worker in the same hospital as his wife’s, helping and supporting people with learning disability.
Though he’s already a naturalized British citizen and living a good life in London, the soft-spoken giant still takes time to indulge in his first love - basketball.
And Carmona wants to share his skills with kids, especially Fil-Britons who might someday make it big in the sport.
“Isa yan sa pangarap ko – ang makapag-develop ng mga Fil-Briton at ilagay sila sa isang project na liga kung saan pwede natin silang tulungan sa training at development sa tulong ng mga kababyan natin dito sa UK (That’s one of my dreams – to develop a Filipino-British player and put up a league where we can help train and develop their skills with the help of our fellow Filipinos in the UK)," he said.
For this endeavor, Carmona seeks to get backing from KAMPI officials and hopes to touch base with his former San Miguel teammates Michael Mustre and Arniel Bravo, who are said to be playing in another Filipino-organized league in the east part of London.
Finding no place in the PBA turned out to be a blessing in disguise after all for Carmona, who’s been having a ball as a family man, care worker, and yes a franchise player for his team in Her Majesty’s homeland.
