Transcript

STE-004.wav

: [00:00:01] Introduce yourself.

: [00:00:03] My name is Nico Evianko from Queens New York 23 years old. And ever since I can remember playing the game of basketball.

: [00:00:14] How did you first become passionate about basketball?

: [00:00:18] When I was a kid about second grade an older brother he is five years older than me and I would go to his baseball camps and his practices for his seventh grade team and his coach would let me practice that.

: [00:00:35] So I had a lot of fun there. And that actually inspired me to continue playing basketball and do it for myself in the future. How did you think basketball.

: [00:00:49] Why do you think Basketball is so significant in your life and how does basketball mean what does basketball mean to you?

: [00:00:56] For me basketball means everything. It's kind of weird for other people to hear that a ball means everything to someone.

: [00:01:07] But it's just the feeling that I get when I'm on the court and I don't know it's like I feel like I'm in a different world.

: [00:01:17] I'm in my own world but at the same time I'm like in front of my friends and family and all the people that have supported me like fans and stuff.

: [00:01:24] So that feels really good. And yet it's something I want to do like the future to.

: [00:01:30] Tell me about your greatest achievement in basketball.And your worst memory of a certain game.

: [00:01:37] Greatest achievement my greatest achievements. I mean ever since I was a kid. I played High low basketball as well. I don't wanna sound like cockey or anything but yeah I played Hailo basketball like with some of the best and yeah I went to a lot of travel tournaments and stuff is like that. I won awards there. camps won awards there but I went to school got Christ the king high school which is one of the best schools in the country and it's known for being famous basketball school. Lots of NBA WME players famous college players came from there learned a lot from them and my greatest achievements there is I've only lost five games my whole high school career. Two of those were preseason games so technically they don't really count. So have four championships four rings. Like I don't know it's just winnings like something I was always a part of and I was grateful for that at Christ the king came for my...

: [00:02:44] What was your worst memory of a certain game.

: [00:02:49] I was afraid on my worst memory of a game that I could think of right now when I was in eighth grade I had a tournament in Brooklyn called sky high. I played for this team called Boys and Girls Club Boys and Girls Club in Astoria and a lot of my teammates were from the projects and stuff and we would go to all these like really I don't want to say hood tournaments but like Yeah like not so safe tournaments. But one of the games I did really good and obviously I look a lot of them from everyone else and I could tell the crowd hated me. So I kind of pushed me and I did really well. But the game was close.

: [00:03:37] The fourth quarter I was on the free throw line and there was like 10 seconds. I need to just make one free throw. Never forget this.

: [00:03:48] I need to make one and I had to two missed the first. I was like aight cool. I got the other one. I had knocked down. But I missed two but another player from the other team stepped over the line so I got another shot at three shots missed that one. I was like shit . We're still up by 1. So it's cool like ten seconds left. They not going to do  anything. The inbound the ball they get it run down the court layup we lose again I felt so bad that all my teammates I could tell they were like Yo it's your fault that I'd never forgive my friend Demetrius. I was close with him on the same.

: [00:04:28] He looked me in the eye like he came to see saying that he looked me in the eye and I could tell like he was disappointed and I'll never forget the look on his face. And that ride home was terrible. But yeah that's one of the worst experience I could think of right now.

: [00:04:40] I'll never forget.

: [00:04:41]  Alex: The I don't know what to say. You know what I mean like how I got up. Oh sure. Yeah it's hard. Yeah. Another one. I took your son over another question.

: [00:04:52] I mean OK.

: [00:04:55] Could you tell me about the scholarship that you got to go to the Philippines.

: [00:05:00] So I went to college here upstate went up so it was in Bronxville called Sera Lawerence college for a year. I played over there and then I trained with a team called António Del Manola High School in the Philippines.

: [00:05:19] I trained with them in Las Vegas at a place called Impact which is one of the biggest and most famous like basketball facilities in the country. NBA players work out there. That's where I met a lot of my friends who were like MNBA players now and yeah so I trained with them for a couple of summers when I was in high school and that freshman year when I was in college here.

: [00:05:41] And I guess they liked me and they want to try me out. So I moved out there.

: [00:05:48] I tried again essentially because there were other kids trying out like locals. Now like Philams. Philams are like Filipino Americans which is what I am. So I was like working out with them and then they said Yeah there's a spot for you. So yeah I took it and I wanted to try something new.

: [00:06:06] So obviously playing  in like my homeland and back where my parents are phones so that meant a lot. So yeah definitely want to try it.

: [00:06:15] What was your biggest fear about moving to the Philippines.

: [00:06:20] My biggest fear of moving to the Philippines was definitely the culture shock because I'm from New York. And I mean I stand out like a sore thumb every game. There's not a lot of 5'5 Filipino Americans playing in New York City like. But yeah definitely. When I moved out there it kind of felt the same way in a sense. Obviously like everyone kind of look like me my people.

: [00:06:49] But it was just different because I was considered like outsider because of my accent. I can't speak Filipino so I was considered like what they call like an import which is like a player not from there that they get to play over there. So but I really wasn't because I was Filipino American but anyway so like yeah it kind of made me feel out of place. So that was a big concern of mine. Like I was going to making friends or get along with like my teammates and coaches and like all the kids in school but eventually I got used to it. And yeah.

: [00:07:28] What did you miss most about New York.

: [00:07:32]  what Did I miss most about New York. Definitely my family for sure. My family and friends.

: [00:07:40] But one of the things I miss most is food that's out there. Is a lot of Filipino food which I don't really like.

: [00:07:51] Which is weird but yes I miss a lot like local spots that I was used to go to a lot when I was in Queens like in Manhattan. So that's definitely the things I miss. And when I would come home for like break spring break winter break that I would definitely like to look forward to going to all these places again.

: [00:08:11] And like feeling like home again eating all these foods.

: [00:08:15] In one word how would you describe your overall trip in the Philippines.

: [00:08:21] My overall trip in the Philippines was definitely rewarding and a big eye opening experience for me it's rewarding in the sense that I gained a lot of confidence and a lot of friends and I networked a lot. So that really helped me in my career as a player. And yeah I definitely feel like talking more and being more confident helped me and like not just as a player but as an individual.

: [00:08:55] So yeah I think that was important and.

: [00:08:58] Say oh what did you say

: [00:09:05]  Oh it was.

: [00:09:13] It was an eye opening experience because not everything turned out the way that I planned you know players think like other people thing players you know they go to school and just play ball or like whatever. You don't have to worry about what will be a track star ping pong whatever whatever sport people think you just go to school and just play like there's there's so much more to that. Like it's hard to have a social life at times and schools crazy hard over there.

: [00:09:45] That's another thing that scared me gave me like academics is nothing compared like Asian academics is ridiculous. It's nothing compared to where I am today. I mean I'm not saying where I am today. It's like super easy or anything but I know over there is like Harvard is crazy. But yeah it was really eye opening because when I moved back I could really tell the difference and feel the difference of when I was over there and when I'm here.

: [00:10:13] And finally how was how did the experiences in Philippine change where you are today.

: [00:10:22] My experiences in the Philippines definitely made me more confident just what I said before but it definitely made me more passionate of what I want to do in the future and made me see like made me more motivated to go after him like my end goal which is you know playing professional over there. Wish I could definitely do with with all the help that I've had with all the people that I met like network in the Philippines and the people I've met here. And yes I think it was a great experience for me and I look forward to going back there again.

: [00:11:05] Thank you.