With global sportswear leader ANTA holding its SHOCK 4 Tournament annually in the Philippines, this year’s iteration has been bigger than ever with eight legs spanning nationwide with games being played from Pampanga City all the way to Davao City.
As the tournament’s third season opened about a month ago, ANTA decided to implement the four-point line in the Philippines, an innovation adopted from SHOCK 4 international tournament rules. This lines up timely with the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) recent announcement of the four-point shot beginning in its 49th season—allowing SHOCK 4’s young players to adapt to the new kind of shot in competitive play in preparation for their PBA aspirations.
Along with the new rule, ANTA has once again hand-picked four collegiate players to help tell their stories as it reaches new heights this time around.
Jommel Puno, Steve Nash Enriquez, Lauren Lopez, and Rey Remogat are notable names from the college level who are about to unleash their true potential. This bodes well with the tournament’s unorthodox schematics of a full-court 4-on-4 format with a first-to-21 scoring system as it displays the physical and quick Filipino style of play. Their journeys have set them up to shock the local basketball scene later this year similar to the SHOCK 4 tournament aspirants.
San Beda University Red Lions guard Jommel Puno is coming off a championship season just as a rookie. For Puno, the work doesn’t stop there as he’s been brushing up on scouting reports from his first year to pinpoint what areas of his game need improvement. For the 6-foot-5 guard, the game is all about “advantages,” as it resonates with the tournament’s hoopers looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
Going for a championship repeat, Puno claims, “I feel like this is the most important year of my career and that I’m at my peak potential. All that’s left for me to do is show people what I got.”
For National University Bulldogs floor general Steve Nash Enriquez, he is instilling a “no expectations” mindset to his teammates now that he is their main playmaker. With bigger responsibilities, Enriquez aims to steer them in the right direction—exuding the camaraderie shared in the SHOCK 4 tournament.
“May mentality kasi si Coach [Jeff Napa] na ‘next man up’, kaya gagawin lang namin yung best namin at ng tama,” he shared on how his team’s off-season preparations have been like.
(Coach has a “next man up” mentality, which is why we’re just going to do our best in the right way.)
It’s a whole different scenario for incoming freshman Ateneo Blue Eagles guard Lauren Lopez being one of the standouts moving up to the seniors’ ranks. Attributing to the high-paced play of the SHOCK4 tournament as an energy spark of her own, Lopez hopes to crack the rotational guard spot later on this year.
Bringing in the intensity of her game, Lopez talks about what she’ll bring to her squad sharing, “I think I could help my teammates by coming in with a new perspective and a fresh mindset.” This alludes to SHOCK 4’s nature of taking the competition by storm as Lopez gives her thoughts on the tournament, “In Filipino basketball, magulo diba. It’s kakaiba. 4×4 represents the Filipino culture as a unique one.”
(In Filipino basketball, it’s messy right. It’s different.)
Transferring to the UP Fighting Maroons is a member of last year’s UAAP Men’s Basketball Mythical Five in Rey Remogat. The Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 representative is currently serving a one-year residency from collegiate ball with the transfer but that hasn’t halted his progression. “It’s all about [your] mental [state] talaga na kahit na hindi ka maglalaro ngayon, yung work ethic mo parang ka pa rin lalaro this season,” he posited on how he has been treating a non-playing year.
(It’s all about your mental state really that even if you won’t play now, your work ethic has to be as if you’re playing this season.)
Describing his game as “unbothered”, Remogat is a testament to the SHOCK4 Tournament’s culture of playing for oneself despite any doubts that could be encountered.
The athletes are grateful for the opportunity to represent an internationally-recognized brand like ANTA, especially since the SHOCK4 tournament bolsters its participants’ development on and off the court. Puno, for example, was able to get his early jitters out before his debut campaign when he joined the SHOCK4 Tournament’s first season. Meanwhile, Enriquez, Lopez, and Remogat expressed that the tournament would have aided them immensely before their breakout periods.
As ANTA continues to highlight the raw and underrated talent the country possesses, everyone is invited to watch the remaining legs live with updates to follow on ANTA’s social media pages. The 2024 SHOCK4 Tournament will excitingly be capped off with its National Finals on August 18th at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City as the top two teams ying to come out on top will be rewarded with ANTA basketball footwear.
