Well, the great American coach John Wooden said it.

It’s  as valid today as it was when Wooden first said it several years ago.

Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) secretary-general Graham Lim  doesn’t  personally know Wooden.

But  the  controversial  basketball official  surely believes  in his  wisdom.

“I  would  like  to  think that  the  true  test of  character can be found during one’s darkest hour,” said   Lim,  who celebrated  his  birthday in  his detention cell  in Bicutan last Feb. 7.

“In God’s time, I still believe that  our  battle  for what is  right and  just  in  basketball will not be  in vain,” added  Lim, who spent his special day in the company of  his  wife and son and fellow  detainees.

Interestingly, Feb. 7 also marked  the  second month  of  his imprisonment at  the Bicutan Detention Center for reportedly being an undesirable  alien.

Lim thinks otherwise.

“I  have been languishing in jail for  the last two  months for  continuing my fight for truth, justice and  righteousness  in basketball  and for trying to keep the  BAP and  its  grassroot development  programs  alive,” explained  Lim in an emotional  letter to  his  friends  and  supporters  shortly after his birthday.

In fact, Lim said  the  BAP will hold its Annual  National Convention on Jan. 12-14 in Batangas City where delegates from  as  far  as   Cebu in   the Visayas  and  Davao  in  Mindanao are expected  to attend.

Even  without the official recognition from  the Philippine Olympic  Committee  (POC), Lim said the  BAP continue to  perform its  role  as  the  country’s oldest  national  association  for basketball.

He said  the   BAP leadership, headed   by  chairman  Cong.   Luis Villafuerte  and   president Prospero “Butch” Pichay   is  still hopeful  that  their appeal to the   Court   for Arbitration  in  Sports (CAS)   based in  Lausanne, Switzerland  will  promulgate  a favorable  decision  soon.

“I hope that the CAS panel, headed   by honorable  counsel Louise Reilly,   will  sincerely continue to search  for the  truth and justice,” wrote Lim in his letter.

On a personal note,  Lim  expressed   hopes  that he can   be   home in  time  for  Chinese New Year’s Day  and Valentine’s  Day  so  “I  can  spend time  with   my  family  and friends again.”

He recalled  spending  the time in jail  away  from his loved ones during  Christmas, New Year and his only  daughter’s birthday.

His birthday  wish?

To be  home the soonest possible time and be reunited with his family.

Only then we can truly say  happy  birthday, Graham.

*   *   *

Here’s  another   major sports event  to look forward  to  in the coming days.

The  Commission  on   Higher Education  (CHED)  2010  National  Games will  be  held Feb. 22-27 at the Rizal Memorial   Sports  Complex  and  other nearby  venues.

CHED  chairman Dr. Emmanul Angeles said no less than President  Gloria  Macapagal-Arroyo  will be   the  guest of  honor and  speaker during  the  week-long  sports competition.

More than  6,000 athletes from 17 regions  nationwide will vie for top honors in 18 disciplines in the prestigious competition  last staged in Bacolod City in 2004.

Among  those  set to see action  are  top  athletes  from   three major sports associations: State  Colleges and Universities  Athletic Association   (SCUAA) Private Schools Athletic Association  (PRISAA), and  Local  Colleges and Universities Athetic Association (LCUAA).

“We hope that the CHED National Games will someday serve as a breeding ground for those who will not only win golds in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games, but also in the Olympics,” said Dr. Angeles.

Among the sports   in the schedule  are   basketball, badminton, beach volleyball,   boxing,   chess, dance  sports,  fotball,   judo, karate, lawn  tennis, sepak  takraw,   softball, swimming, table tennis,  taekwondo, track and  field and  volleyball.

Aside  from the  RMSC, other  venues  are  the Philsports Complex,  Sto. Niño softball field in  Marikina,  Rizal Technological University gym, PUP gym, San Andres gym, and the UST gym.

This  year’s CHED  National Games’’ theme will   be “Building  Bridges, Achieving  Excellence.”

NOTES --  Belated    birthday  greetings  to Sarah Andaya of  Cainta, Rizal, who celebrated  last Feb. 3...

Greetings, too , to  Joanna Mai  Cami, who turned  another year older last Feb. 6.

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