Chris Tiu: Lessons off the bench
It’s graduation season for many schools and time to bring in the commencement speakers who will inspire the next generation.
Chris Tiu of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters returned to his college campus last May 18 to address the minors programs graduates of the Ateneo School of Social Sciences.
The university encourages able and interested students to earn a minor degree aside from their main college course. Nevertheless, it takes deft schedule management and sound study skills to earn both titles.
Tiu could identify with the young people at the Irwin Theater that day. Aside from graduating cum laude with a degree in management engineering ten years ago, Tiu also earned a minor in Chinese studies. He did all these while trying to play basketball for a high profile program.
Tiu’s message to the graduates was not on time management but about learning from challenges. The sweet shooting guard recounted how he started out as the 10th man off the bench of his grade school team at Xavier and then struggled as well in his early days with the Blue Eagles. And in the one time he did get to play a lot, he muffed an easy layup in a crucial game against La Salle.
“I could sense people were talking about that miss,” Tiu recounted. “I could’ve missed in a practice game or any other match. But not in that game.”
Frustration was setting in and he needed time away from the sport enabling him to study for a year in France.
And yet the call of the game was strong for Tiu. He recommitted himself to be better at the sport. In his final year, the Blue Eagles ended a six-year drought and won the UAAP title in 2008. This was followed by Tiu’s stints with the national team and a slot in the Rain or Shine roster where he is a vital part of the rotation.
In closing, Tiu reminded the graduates that they should not forget the core values they learned through the years, like excellence and serving others.
“Don’t chase success but strive for excellence,” Tiu added, quoting a line from a favorite movie.
It’s been quite a journey for Chris Tiu, from the bench to the spotlight, filled with lessons useful not just for sports but also for the game of life.
