Suico brings Cebu pride, belief as he takes game to Spain

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Henry Kristoffer Suico is taking his basketball game to Spain, but he is not leaving Cebu behind.

The Cebuano standout is set to begin his scholarship program at Zentro Basket Madrid, opening a new chapter in a journey that has taken him from the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) to the international stage.

For Suico, the opportunity is about more than making a name for himself overseas. It is about representing the hometown that shaped him, the people who believed in him and the faith that continues to guide him.

“When I go to Spain, I’m not only representing myself. I also represent where I came from, so it really means a lot,” Suico said.

Suico emerged as one of the key players of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles during their historic five-peat championship run in Cesafi Season 25. His performances earned him Mythical Five recognition and established him as one of Cebu’s top young players.

His rise continued on the national stage.

In his final high school year, Suico was ranked No. 7 among the country’s best players by the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC), making him the No. 1-ranked high school player from Cebu.

His performances eventually earned him a commitment to the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. Suico later decommitted to pursue bigger opportunities, a decision that eventually led him to Spain.

Earlier this year, he traveled to Spain and caught the attention of Zentro Basket Madrid. That opportunity developed into a scholarship that will allow him to train and continue his development in the Spanish basketball system.

“It means a lot,” Suico said. “I credit all this to God. Without Him, I can’t achieve all this.”

He credits the opportunity not to one defining moment, but to years of work and everything he has learned from basketball.

“I just gave my best effort and everything that I’ve learned so far from my experience in basketball,” he said.

Now, he gets to put those lessons to the test in a different basketball environment.

Suico is particularly excited about the challenge of training in Spain and experiencing life as a student-athlete.

“I’m super excited,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to training and the overall experience of life in Spain as a student-athlete.”

While his next games will be played thousands of kilometers from home, Suico knows he will still be carrying Cebu with him.

“I would commit to giving my best effort, on and off the court,” he said. “How I act mirrors where I came from, so I just want to have the right attitude in everything that I do.”

For Suico, that responsibility goes hand in hand with his ambition.

He has always believed in dreaming big, but more importantly, in believing that he belongs among those chasing those dreams.

“I have big dreams for my basketball career, and it starts from believing in yourself and believing in the vision that you have,” he said.

That belief now takes him into unfamiliar territory.

Suico knows Spain will bring tougher competition, a different environment and new challenges. But instead of worrying about where the journey ends, he is focused on the work in front of him.

“I’ll focus on working hard every day, learning and improving from the experience as much as I can, and we’ll see where God takes me,” Suico concluded.

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