The Beginning of "The BasketVault"

While the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic saw the stoppage of multiple leagues in 2020, that didn't stop the people's passion. And while the basketball world temporarily stopped, the same cannot be said for basketball fans, especially for Philippine basketball fans.

Bull By the Horn began its second season with pinoyliga.com founder Benny Benitez, and Coach Jong Uichico talked about a beginning of a passion that came out during these trying times.

Some basketball fans collect basketball magazines. Some collect National Basketball Association (NBA) cards and posters. Others even go for those rare and expensive basketball shoes. There are many reasons why people collect things, but for most collectors, it's about keeping the memories alive even at a time of a pandemic.

Fortunately, Facebook communities give fans a platform to share their basketball memorabilia, and one of those communities is The BasketVault.

Doctor Michael Rico Mesina, a radiologist, guested on Saturday's episode of Bull By the Horn, where he shared just a few of the collectibles that basketball fans like himself own. He also shared how The BasketVault came to be.

"The BasketVault start during the abundance of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) last year," Mesina began.

He continued, "At that time, work at the hospitals wasn't that toxic. I had the chance to do my passion project which is to make a group or a community of basketball fans, those who love basketball who want to save their memories in a particular forum, or in a particular platform,"

The BasketVault, according to Doctor Mesina, started out as a Facebook messenger group chat until eventually, it grew. "The longer it got, the group grew bigger. The members were clamoring for me to make a Facebook group page. That's how the BasketVault started," Mesina explained.

Talk about staying passionate even at a time of a pandemic.

Screenshot is from the pinoyliga.com Facebook page