Filipino community comes together for annual basketball tournament in St. John's

A normally quiet gymnasium in St. John's was filled with a mixture of sounds on Sunday. 

Basketballs moving up and down the court, crisp passes finding their target, grunts as bodies collided, squeaks from shoes sprinting across the court and, when the ball went through the hoop, the crowd's roar.

This was the second day of an annual weekend basketball tournament held by the city's Filipino community for the Filipino community.

Participants gathered from cities as far as Gander to participate.

"We're all friends, but when you play basketball, I don't know who you are right now," player James Pormento told CBC News while laughing. 

The players were focused, playing hard and not afraid to knock another player for a chance to get the ball. When one falls, the game marches on.

Pormento is a doctor, not a professional basketball player. He is one of 150 people who showed up for the tournament.

"A lot of us who grew up in the Philippines can tell you that at every street corner, people played basketball," Pormento said.

"The love for the game is all there and you can feel it when you're playing."

He admits he could be the oldest player in this league made for amateurs. The youngest player just finished high school. 

Ricky Penarubia is the director of the Filipino Newfoundlanders Basketball Association in St. John's and is a player himself.

He is fast and aggressive and is quick to create blocks. His family were in the crowd, along with many other families. Dozens of people stood on the sideline with bench space taken up completely.

"We are all immigrants from the Philippines. We came here for a better life for ourselves and our families,"  Penarubia said.

"Basketball is a part of us. We play to take a break from work and have