Exile basketball team owner Joey Valencia turns hobby into a successful business

 Joey Valencia played basketball in high school for fun—but during that time, serious hoops were not yet on his mind.

Despite his business success in the entertainment industry, he also found a home in basketball.

 “Mahilig ako magbike eh, before nasa entertainment ako, pero naenganyo ako ng mga kaibigan ko sa La Salle, pati noong nag Aquinas ako, kaya ayun natuwa na ako, 50 years old na ako, nagbabasketball pa rin ako. We are also joining leagues such as Pinoy Liga,” he said.

 “Basketball is a competitive sport, gusto ko may iprove ako sa sarili ko na kaya ko pa at the age of 50. Late bloomer na ako, may goal lang ako lagi na iimprove ko lang lagi yung ginagawa ko, syempre hindi ako nahihiyang matuto. Before, naglalaro ako nung highschool, di seryoso pero eto last hurrah, second win,” he added.

He said that his hobby eventually turned into a serious business.

“Thirty four years na ang Exile, ang company ko kasi is more on entertainment, mahilig lang ako sa basketball. Last year, nagchampion ang San Juan Knights Exile naman, binenta ko na franchise nun. Magastos and its hard to maintain that’s I why I decided to sell it this year nagconcentrate na lang ako sa mismong mother, yung Exile,” he said.

Valencia said that basketball really benefitted him especially in keeping his body healthy because it was his stress reliever.

“More on entertainment kasi ako noon wayback mga 90s, naging inhouse din ako ng Channel 2 for nine years, dito kasi sa basketball, mas relax ang buhay, nakakatanggal ng stress. Masyado kasing stressful ang trabaho ko sa entertainment eh,” he said.

The 50-year-old businessman also said that one of his best decisions in life was putting up Exile.

The Exile basketball team, which started from 15 players, now consists of 45 players.

“I’ve been doing this for five years na rin okay naman. Minsan natatalo ka, hindi naman lagi panalo ka. Ayoko ng defeat eh, ayokong natatalo. Pero siyempre you have to accept na may mga teams na mas deserve nilang manalo,” he said.

“Kapag natatalo kami, nagpapractice kami at iniisip namin kung paano kami mananalo. Kunwari tinalo kami ng team na to makakalaban naming ulit, paghahandaan namin para manalo kami ulit, kailangan bumawi ka,” he added.

The rewarding part in putting up Exile was that he was also learning to be patient and he was able to hone his skills in the game.

“Ang reward ko is nagiging masaya ako. Marami akong naapply sa sarili ko na maging matino akong tao, may nakukuha rin akong example, yung maging patient ba, mainitin kasi ulo ko. I’m also learning kasi before yung mga bagay na hindi ko nagagawa dati, yung tumira ng three points, nagagawa ko na yung gusto kong play,” he said.

However, building a team also entails challenges, Valencia revealed.

“Maraming players na pasaway, sa una mabait tapos biglang magdedemand, ayoko ng ganon. Sa akin, tinatanggal ko na agad, sasakit lang ulo ko eh. Sinasabi ko sa kanila kapag sasali  kayo rito at gagawin niyong negosyo, wag na lang kahit magaling ka na kasi ang goal naming dito is brotherhood,” he said.

“We value brotherhood in my team. One thing good in my team is kasi usually naglalaro kami ng mga laban may mga binabayaran kang players, dito wala, lahat kami we do. Yung friendship naming brotherhood is one thing different from us compared to other teams,” he said.

“Ang gusto ko rin we win as a team. Manalo kami dahil superstar kami, gusto ko yung credit saming lahat. Importante yun eh,” Valencia said.

He also bared that he plans to join on higher leagues such as PBA-- but for now his goal is to create more networks and friends in the industry.

“Marami akong nakikilalang new friends at masaya. Malay mo one of these days, maging franchise kami ng PBA, di mo masabi. You can never tell. For now, sana magtuloy tuloy lang ang Exile,” he said.

His another goal in mind is for Aquinas, a Catholic all boys school, to bag the championship in the interschool basketball competitions such as the Pinoyliga Cup 

“Ang goal ko kasi,  ang school ko di ko mapagchampion eh, interschool. Number one goal ko mapagchampion ko sila.”

The Exile owner also plans to give back in the basketball community such as putting up D- Leagues, outreach programs, as well as clinics to teach aspiring basketball players and to have a scholarship program for those who wanted to play basketball in his mother school, Aquinas.

“I put up Exile because I want to help my player boost their self-confidence, not necessarily for business but for them to win and experience the true game of basketball,” Valencia said.

Photo is from Erma R. Edera