Patrick Orencia

All the Ways to Help

A first-year player learns that a good game can contain far more than points.

Patrick Orencia grew up watching his dad play community basketball in the Philippines, where the energy made the game feel bigger than the court.

He remembers another early basketball image: Kobe Bryant in Game 7 against Boston, working on defence. Even before Patrick fully understood the sport, effort had a way of making itself recognizable.

His own competitive turning point came after a Grade 9 city semifinal loss. It was the first time losing a basketball game made him cry. The disappointment showed him how much he cared, and gave him a reason to work harder.

The game had started as something he watched his dad play amid the energy of community competition. That semifinal made the attachment unmistakably his own. He wanted another chance badly enough to change how he prepared for it.

Starting organized basketball later than many other players made that preparation especially important. It was easy to measure his experience against theirs and decide he was behind. Work on the mental side of the game, alongside training, helped him give himself a more useful measure: whether he had done enough to trust what he could bring.

Joining organized basketball later than many peers brought doubts about whether he belonged. Preparation helped answer them.

“Confidence comes from preparation,” he says.

So did a change in how he valued himself on the floor. Patrick once put so much weight on scoring that a difficult offensive night affected the rest of his game. With experience, he began seeing other ways to contribute.

A difficult scoring night once felt like proof that he was having a bad game altogether. Patrick now recognizes how that thinking could affect his decisions and the teams he played for. The next opportunity to help might be a pass, a defensive possession, or a contribution that never becomes a point beside his name. He wants to see those opportunities sooner.

Patience has become part of how he handles setbacks, too. He tries not to turn every problem into something that must be solved immediately. A player can keep working while allowing development its own time. That belief sits beside his academic plans: psychology, then education, and a collegiate experience he hopes will contain achievements earned through helping a team.

Now entering his first year of eligibility with the Lightning, he wants to help through scoring, passing, or defending—whatever the team needs. An ACAC championship is a longer-term goal. So are a psychology degree and an after-degree education program.

He has interests capable of occupying plenty of the hours between practices. Patrick loves “One Piece” and has revisited the series multiple times. He draws, spends time with loved ones, and resets with Ponyo, his chow chow.

His high school coach helped him build confidence. Patrick wants to carry that belief into a new setting while remembering that the game involves more than his own performance.

The community games first made basketball feel alive. University basketball gives him another group to help—and more ways to do it than a scoring column can hold.