By REYNALD MAGALLON
What does it take to have a complete basketball team? Is it the star players? The role players? The great coaches?
Or the utilities working hard behind the bench far from the limelight of the cameras?
Everyone plays a role in a team but probably there’s nothing more heroic than those who willingly work day in, day out – and without complaint – just to ensure that the players and the coaches will have everything they need before a game.
They were so valuable to a team that they were treated not merely as staff but a vital and important part of a team’s success – to some extent a father figure everyone needs.
Take Henry Salomon for example, the diligent and energetic statistician and head of staff of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA.
Fondly called by players and coaches as “Papa Hen”, the 59-year-old staff has gone beyond his job description, taking up roles such as taper, water boy, ball boy and shooting partner for players if needed – skills that he acquired throughout his 29-year of dedicated service.
In doing so, he finds fulfillment and happiness.
“Hindi ko kasi matiis na ‘di tumulong. Sa practice kasi ‘di ka naman mag-stats eh so para may pakinabang sa team tuma-trabaho na rin ako ng trabaho ng utility,” said Salomon who was already one of the longest tenured personnel in Rain or Shine franchise, being with the team ever since its days in PBL when it was still carrying the banner of Welcoat.
The team – owned by Raymond Yu and Terry Que – built a winning tradition in the defunct league that saw Welcoat help nurture the careers of such great players like James Yap and Marc Pingris, just to name a few.
If there’s something that Salomon takes pride in his work, however, it is helping the players become the version of themselves today.
Without Papa Hen, probably there will be no Paul Lee drilling deep three pointers or CJ Perez becoming a multiple-time scoring champion in the PBA.
Avoiding to sound arrogant – he was in fact excited – Salomon shared that he was the one who helped Lee sharpen his shooting weapon during his early years in the league as part of Rain or Shine. He would actually facilitate the shooting drills of Lee and other ROS players like Jervy Cruz, Jonathan Uyloan and even Yap before and after the practice.
Lee even invited Salomon at the center court after he won the three-point shootout in the Passi City All-Star game just this year, crediting him for the work he has done for the Magnolia sharpshooter
“Importante sa akin to kasi siya yung tumulong sa akin nung nagsisimula palang ako,” said Lee referring to Salomon.
Not only Lee.
He also helped several players when they were starting, the most prominent probably was Perez, who actually stayed at his house in Malabon when the now Gilas Pilipinas guard was still searching for a school to play for in college.
He would even fetch him at San Sebastian College when he was still trying out for the Stags.
Seeing Lee and Perez and other players he handled succeed is what makes Papa Hen love his job the more.
“Sobrang saya ko sobra proud. Nararamdaman ko yung kasiyahan kasi nag succeed yung pinaghirapan ko. Nawala yung pagod ko kasi at least gumagaling sila,” said Papa Hen
“Parang si CJ ‘yung hirap ko sa kanya di ako nanghinayang e, kasi ayun na siya eh tapos naging scoring champion siya, sobra sobrang saya ko para sa kanya,” he added.
Long-time Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia attested to the work ethic of Salomon, who fittingly as his nickname says, already became a father figure to him and to the team.
“Parang tatay-tatayan na rin namin iyan. Whatever team that we work with nagiging paborito yan. First of all, his work ethic, he works so hard. He’s a good example for everybody,” said Garcia, who’s been with Salomon since 1999.
“Kahit ako marami natutunan sa kanya, how he takes care of the family, sa mga players he gives his all sa trabaho nya. He really tries to take care of everybody, kahit di nya trabaho ginagawa niya. He looks after everybody kaya perfect yung term na Papa Hen sa kanya,” he furthered.
Admittedly a huge fan of basketball and the PBA back then, prompting him to try his luck and apply as a statistician, Papa Hen doesn’t see himself retiring anytime soon.
“Hangga’t kaya ko pa. Hangga’t ramdam ko na kaya pa ng katawan ko,” he said.
In fact, there is still one thing that he wants to achieve in his career, that is probably also the ultimate dream of everyone like him – to also serve the flag and the country.
“Sana makarating ako ng Gilas kasi meron na ako MPBL, NCAA, PBA may PCBL. Gusto ko rin mag serve sa country. Iba rin kasi syempre kapag nag Gilas ka, yun ang panlaban ng bansa natin. Gusto ko sana maka contribute rin dun di lang natityempo kasi may coaches dun may sariling tao,” he added.
