Troy Rike has just endured, the darkest day of his young life when officers from the Bureau of Immigration detained him after he was suspected of entering the country as an illegal alien.
After the 24-hour ordeal, all accusations were dropped and the Fil-American player is back to his normal routine as a student-athlete with National University.
Rike, however, said the experience left a mark on him that he knows would take a lot more to shake off.
“To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ve shaken it off a hundred percent it’ll take a while until it’s a hundred percent completely off,” said Rike after the Bulldogs’ 63-58 loss to Adamson University Saturday at Filoil Flying V Centre.
Rike, whose mother is Filipino, said he’s just happy he was able to find solace in the game of basketball after the harrowing experience on Sept. 19 when BI officers arrested and detained him for a full day.
“I’ve always found love and joy in the game of basketball, so when I’m out there I just focus on that. I just want to play basketball.”
Rike, who had eight points and 11 rebounds against the Falcons, said his team has been with him every step of the way and have given him the support throughout the ordeal.
The Wake Forest alum said the support he’s received from the Bulldogs has helped him immensely.
“Everyone’s been supportive and I thank my teammates, the management, the coaches,” said Rike who’s taking up a master’s degree in education at NU. “Everyone was there for me and that means the world to me.”