The Final Score: Understanding Rabeh Al-Hussaini

It had to sting. Rabeh Al-Hussaini sat through an entire PBA game against his will. He wasn’t injured. He wasn’t nursing a fever. He was ready to go. GlobalPort certainly needed him to play last October 7. His team, however, felt Rabeh was only fit to watch the night go by.   I hear the stories. You probably hear them too. That Rabeh is this. Or Rabeh is that. It depends on which versions you hear. He’s either too critical or too intense. The former could create schism between Rabeh and his teammates. The latter should make Rabeh the kind of teammate everyone wants to have.   We couldn’t help but look. Rabeh was glued to the bench. Fans noticed his absence on the floor. We were attracted by the painful contrast. The young man who couldn’t be stopped in his last two years in the UAAP is now an older man wrestling with a reputation he can’t shake.   The consensus: kailangan intindihin si Rabeh. Fair enough. Players aren’t thoughtless machines. Some players function well with minimal prodding. Others need a boost to rev their engines. Then, there’s Rabeh.   Al-Hussaini is a fragile blend of competitiveness and sensitivity. He wants to win. We’ve seen that side of Rabeh before. You don’t win season or finals UAAP MVP awards by playing soft. You don’t lead Ateneo to UAAP championships by joking around. Coach Norman Black knew a sure thing when he saw one. So Black gave Rabeh the ball and watched his center tear defenders apart.   Times change. Situations evolve. Rabeh is no longer the main man. Still, he has the tools to regain his lofty status. I wonder if Rabeh can wait. Maybe he wonders if he should even wait at all. He’s entitled to think that way. But it’s certainly not the only way to assess his situation.   I think Rabeh wants to have the ball in his hands again. Because he knows he can do so much. I think he wants to play a bigger role offensively. Because a little more trust could help him play with a little more ferocity.   That’s Rabeh being Rabeh I suppose. Will his delicate relationship with GlobalPort coaches work? It could. But if it doesn’t, I hope it’s a price he’s willing to pay. In a sense, you have to admire him. He’s honest, even if brutally so. Please understand. This is who I am. This is what I can do. Why can’t you trust me the way teams trusted me before?   At the end of GlobalPort’s practice last October 9, Rabeh joined the team huddle. He played well. He galloped up and down the floor. He was part of the team again. So Gary David remarked, “Welcome back Rabeh!” Everyone cheered. Because no wants to waste a good thing. Pa-minsan-minsan lang magkaroon sa PBA ng isang Rabeh Al-Hussaini. In the end, no one wants to end up saying, “Sayang.” In the end, everyone wants to say in glorious unison, “Sabi na nga ba, kaya eh!” -- GMA News