How Marvin Espiritu Turned Things Around for Japeth Aguilar?

Believe it or not, there were certain points in Japeth Aguilar's career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) where he wasn't playing at all as he used to burn a hole in the bench of a team that was heavily loaded at the frontline. And in Saturday's episode of "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez, professional player agent, Marvin Espiritu pointed out that even if you are a star player during your collegiate career, you would be an instant star once you hit the professional ranks. In some instances, even the top players in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have to be patient before getting their breaks especially if they happen to be drafted by a loaded team. And that's just one importance of why players should hire a player agent: to have someone who will guide them along the journey.

Last night's fourth episode of "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez revolved around the profession that is being a sports agent and that, Benitez was able to talk to not one but two professional sports agents in the legendary Danny Espiritu and his son Marvin who also runs the Espiritu Manotoc Basketball Management (EMBM) alongside Matthew Manotoc. And among the topics that were discussed is Marvin's most memorable encounter as an agent and this one involves Japeth Aguilar who is now playing for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

After a collegiate career that included stops in Ateneo in the UAAP as well as in Western Kentucky University in the US NCAA on top of being drafted to the National Basketball Association (NBA) D-League back in 2012, Aguilar returned to the Philippines and played for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas program then headed by Rajko Toroman and Chot Reyes. That team went on to clinch the silver medal in the 2013 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup that was held in Manila. But prior to that success, Aguilar was actually drafted as the number one pick in the 2009 PBA Rookie Draft by the Burger King Whoopers but just a few days after the draft, Aguilar declared that he would join the national team. That move almost had himself banned from the PBA after initially refusing to sign with Burger King until a settlement was reached. Aguilar managed to play just one game with the team that drafted and after that, Burger King sent Aguilar packing for the Manny V. Pangilinan-run Talk N Text franchise which will allow Aguilar to play for the national team. And while he was able to play for Gilas Pilipinas, his PBA career back then was almost non-existent as TNT was loaded upfront with still-in-prime forwards like Kelly Williams and Harvey Carrey. It was as if Aguilar's career was going nowhere and the only logical move back then was to request for a trade.

Then the US move happened in 2012.

Marvin Espiritu shared that around that time, TNT was about to welcome back Norman Black into the professional ranks and Black laid out the plans he had for Japeth Aguilar once Black was the head coach of the team. After all,  Black was Aguilar's coach in Ateneo during the former's early years coaching in the UAAP. And at the same time, Espiritu was also in talks with other teams who were interested in acquiring Aguilar via a trade. More importantly, he kept his communication line open for Aguilar even during those times when the latter was still pursuing his NBA dream. And in 2013, Aguilar, through the work of Espiritu behind the scene, got his trade request granted as Aguilar was traded to then Global Port Batang Pier, and then later, he was traded to the Gin Kings.

As Marvin Espiritu said, "It's about the journey" and that was exactly what made the Aguilar journey so memorable for Espiritu because of the tremendous challenges that Aguilar had to endure before being the player he is right now. It was indeed a long process especially for agents like Marvin Espiritu but fortunately for Japeth Aguilar, Marvin is good at what he's doing. After all, he's the son of a legendary player agent. And that's just another reason why hiring an agent for athletes is essential: you would have someone who will tell you about everything and not just the good stuff. At the end of the day, the Espiritu father-and-son tandem let the players make the final decision, and fortunately, their clients made good choices thanks to good advice from the agents.  

If there's one important takeaway to look at in the Japeth Aguilar situation back then, it's that talent can only bring you to a certain distance. Hearing the right advice can even extend one's career even more. Fortunately for Aguilar, he has Marvin Espiritu. 

Photo is from philnews.ph