Last Sunday, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, the league’s No. 2 overall pick in the Annual Draft last August,
fired 30 points to lead Air21 to an 82-77 victory over Barako Bull that formally clinched for the
Express the eighth and last quarterfinal berth in this year’s Philippine Cup first round of
playoffs which will begin on December 17.

The 6-7 Al-Hussaini was actually coming off a 31-point effort in a 96-89 losing cause to San Miguel
Beer nine days earlier, making him only the first rookie to record back-to-back 30-plus games in 11
years, or since Eric Menk did for Tanduay in 1999.

But Al-Hussaini could not have done his feat without the help of a virtually unknown teammate who
was actually making his PBA debut as the second oldest rookie in league history.

His name: Lou Gatumbato.

Acquired and activated by Air21 just recently, the five-foot-nine Gatumbato didn’t have the
impressive numbers the bigger and more illustrious Al-Hussaini came up with, finishing with only
seven points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 22 minutes of action. But head coach
Yeng Guiao’s letting him quarterback the team in the last 14 minutes and 39 seconds of the game,
including the entire fourth quarter where the Express were able to finally shake off the pesky
Energy Boosters, already spoke volumes.

“Maybe it’s his experience, steadiness. He makes good decisions under pressure. He actually
made us better today. I’m impressed with his first game,” said Guiao who has this reputation of
unraveling the potential of ordinary players in just short periods of time, like turning stones into
diamonds with magic.

Guiao admitted his team was desperate with the rash of injuries that recently befell his team
particularly the stress fractures on both knees suffered by Marcy Arellano. JR Quinahan was also
down with flu while Ronnie Matias tore an ACL in his right knee in a freak accident during the San
Miguel Beer game just a little more than two minutes after first checking in and three days before
his birthday.

It also didn’t help that his other court generals were not playing up to par, thus opening up an
opportunity for Gatumbato, which he readily exploited.

“Our point guards have not been playing as expected this conference so we really needed a lift.
And Lou provided that lift,” Guiao said.

Gatumbato’s inspiring story actually speaks a lot more than his first game.

Snobbed in the 2004 Draft which featured the likes of James Yap, Rich Alvarez, Marc Pingris, Sonny
Thoss, Ranidel de Ocampo, Paul Artadi and Gary David in what turned out to be the last Draft in the
league to have multiple rounds, Gatumbato returned to playing in the PBL and even took his wares to
the NBC, MVBA, Liga and TOP to make ends meet.

When most of those leagues were either done or folded up eventually, Gatumbato thought of quitting
basketball altogether and accepting work in a bank. There would still be basketball tournaments
where the bank he’d be working for would be competing in from time to time but basketball
wouldn’t be as full-time anymore as before.

But his family and friends would continue to pester him about not giving up on basketball
especially his dream to make it to the PBA.

Then came an invitation from Air21 assistant coach Johnny Tam to join the Express’ practices.

“Sa tutoo lang, nu’ng una ako dumating dito wala ako sa kundisyon. Kaya lang naman talaga ako
pumunta para magpakundisyon lang. Pero tinyaga ko na rin, sabi ko andito na rin lang ako baka
opportunity na to,” Gatumbato relates.

The former College of St. Benilde teammate of now Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia would go to
practice an hour earlier to run and shoot baskets. Later on he would be under the tutelage of
another Air21 assistant coach Roehl Nadurata for more skills development drills before he would
eventually become part of the Express’ regular practices.

“Noong ready na siya, sinabi ko kay coach (Yeng), ‘Puwede yung Lou,’” Nadurata narrated.
“Sabi nga ni coach, ‘Sigurado ka ha, baka mapahiya tayo.’ Confident naman ako na kaya niya at
nakita naman ni coach Yeng din siyempre.”

Then came the injury to Arellano which really opened up the opportunity for Gatumbato and he only
be thankful even if he was inked to just a rest-of-the-conference contract.

“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako kay coach Yeng, kina coach Roehl at Johnny at pati sa mga teammates
ko. Talagang sinusuportahan talaga nila ako at maayos pakikitungo nila dito,” says Gatumbato, who
played his first PBA game last Sunday at the age of 31 years, seven months and 13 days, about seven
months younger than the oldest rookie ever in PBA history.

For the record, the league's oldest rookie was Jeffrey Sanders who was 32 years, two months and 12
days old when he first played for Barangay Ginebra in the 2003 Invitationals.

But Gatumbato is older than Shell’s Aris Franco who played his first game in the league in 1990
at the age of 31 years, two months and 21 days even as two seasons earlier another Shell player in
Demetrio “Tito” Antonio made his PBA debut at the age of 31 years, two months and 17 days.

When asked to comment on being the second oldest rookie ever, Gatumbato just laughed it off.

“Okay lang yun. Lahat naman tayo tumatanda,” he said with a laugh, adding what’s most
important is his finally reaching his PBA dream.

“Talagang pag binigyan ka ng opportunity, dapat hindi mo tatanggihan lalo na pag gusto mo talaga
maglaro at lalo na dito sa PBA na halos lahat naman ito ang gustong marating. Kaya talagang
pipilitin kong maglaro pa ng mas maayos para sa Air21,” Gatumbato said.

Indeed, good things come to those who wait AND work hard for their dreams.