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No Pain, No Profit for Top Pick
Words and Pictures by: Patricia Bermudez-Hizon (October 21, 2008)

Christopher Ross took to heart the words of rapper Jay-Z in his song “Blue Magic”, “No pain, no profit.” Four words tattooed on Ross’ shoulder, words which this talented workhorse lives by.

Chris was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas; a city notorious for its passion for sports particularly football and basketball. His siblings William and Tracy were both born in Angeles, Pampanga, where his mother Virginia Salongo, a native of Valenzuela, met and started a family with US Air force Master Sergeant Billy Ross.

The Ross siblings were all athletic. Tracy was a varsity volleyball and basketball player in high school but then got injured. William was gifted in football, basketball and baseball. Of the three, Chris, who also showed promise in football and baseball, was the only one who pursued his sporting dream to one day become a pro athlete.

He is getting closer to his dream by coming to the Philippines to play in the PBL, and was the overall first pick in the recent entry expo. Pharex Medics picked up this point guard who coach Carlo Tan describes as “fundamentally sound and makes the easiest plays possible”. The team puts Chris in high regard, noting his diligence and resolve. Coach adds that he’s “extremely humble” and that “there’s nothing brash about him”.

Coach Tan also noted that Ross comes early to practice, does extra shooting drills long after everyone’s done, and he hits the gym hard. Ross has also been eager to share his thoughts to the team on how they executed plays and how they trained back in the US.

This 23-year old has fought numerous unforgettable battles on the court. Ross took the game-winning buzzer-beating shot from halfcourt that gave the John Jay High School its first ever State Championship. He had “Living Legend” tattooed on his back to memorialize that event years later. His play even got nominated for the ESPY Awards, an annual sport awards created by ESPN, but this lost to Yankee’s Derek Jeter’s flip assist to catcher Jorge Posada in the game 3 of the American League Division title series against the Oakland Athletics back in October 2001.

Chris has numerous other tattoos that define him and his life as a baller. When Chris turned 18, he had his very first one done on his right arm. It was a basketball with wings and the name of his nephew Josiah. The basketball represents his true passion for the sport and the wings symbolize a teammate who he’s been very good friends with since 6th grade. That friend passed away during their high school senior year from a bacterial infection.

Chris also had “Ross” tattooed on the top portion of his back, showing his pride in his family. But it is sheer love and respect for his parents that drove him to tattoo their names over his heart, and his siblings’ names on the other side, close to his heart. It really showed how strong the bonds are in his family and that he truly values his relationships with them. Chris also is proud to be half Filipino – this is represented by the Philippine flag and the words “Kalahating Pinoy” etched on the right side of his body.

Coach Tan is concerned about homesickness possibly steering Chris away from his goals but Chris assures him that though he’ll be missing the cooking of his Filipina Grandma who lives with them in Texas, he’s already used to living away from the family.

After his father’s retirement from the Air force, he started working for the US Customs and had to live near the Mexican border. His siblings have their own families and own homes. Plus Chris lived 20 hours driving time away from home when he played for the Thundering Herd of the proud Marshall University, a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-A level, in Huntington, West Virginia. In his junior season, he was a starter in all the 28 Herd games, and averaged 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals for his 29.9 minutes of playing time.

He got numerous looks from experts especially because he ended up fifth in Conference USA in both assists and steals. His total of 54 steals broke an 8-year Herd record. His career-best is set at 13 points which he reached on two occasions, and he posted career-highs of 11 assists, 9 rebounds, and had played a season-high of 40 minutes.

He was playing the same amount minutes in the 33 games he played in his senior year, but brought up his numbers to 7.4 points, took better care of the ball and had more confidence taking outside shots. His college career was highlighted by countless battles with MU’s intra-state adversary West Virginia State University. These schools have had a colossal basketball rivalry for decades.

Every year, these rival institutions compete in the state capital. “In my senior year, we defeated West Virginia who were ranked 6th in the nation, by 6 points” beamed Chris and added that that’s another proud moment in his basketball career considering MU was unranked. Chris also takes pride finishing that game with 11 points, playing throughout while suffering from an MCL sprain

It was that same year that he tattooed Business Guru and Philantrophist William Clement Stones’ quote on his forearm; “Whatever the mind of man can conceive, the man can achieve.” He gets up in the morning reading those words, knowing that he can push his team to victory.

Chris is also enriched spiritually especially when he joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His journey to strengthen his relationship with God is depicted by yet another tattoo on his back that reads “Father Forgive Me”. He also added the words “love” and “faith” on each leg, words that carry him through any challenge, the latest of which is joining the PBL and playing for the first time on Philippine soil.

When asked what kind of player he is, Chris just said that he likes to get in the paint and do everything. “I can be a scorer but I get greater satisfaction getting my teammates involved”. He emulates Jason Kidd whom he regards as the best point guard, and shows a lot of hustle and is great in clutch plays.

But just like most disciples of the sport, Chris worships Michael Jordan. “I like his work ethic, he wanted to be the best at everything and he worked on it. Like Mike, I try to make it a habit to win all the time”.

Maybe that kind of habit will fulfill his dream of becoming “The Chosen One,” another one of his collection of 14 tattoos. Chris’ friend wrote him a heartfelt letter some years back, breaking down everybody in their core group of friends. This friend describes Chris as the glue that binds and as the leader, providing strength and guidance. He never found out what drove his friend to write that letter, but Chris takes it as a testament to how he was raised. “If you do right, only good things will happen”. He tries to be the best at everything just like Mike. Be it the best point guard, the best uncle, the best friend.

This new chapter in his basketball career started with a friend from Marshall who hooked him up with Gabe Norwood, hearing that Chris wanted to come to the Philippines. Gabe helped Chris ink a deal with manager Mark Chan. And since the time he arrived the day before the PBA draft camp, Chris has been pouring out everything in him to fulfill his mission. “No pain, no profit.” He had that tattooed right before leaving Texas. We will all be witness to how the rest of his story unfolds.

[pbhizon]

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