Docuseries shines spotlight on cagers’ personal struggles

Ricci Rivero

Add basketball player-turned-actor Ricci Rivero to the growing list of celebrities who have suffered from depression and claimed to have survived it.

“Depression is real,” the player from University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons told reporters during the launch of the iWant original sports documentary “Dayories,” which also features fellow cagers Ange Kouame of the Ateneo Blue Eagles and Rhenz Abando of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. It’s directed by Enzo Marcos.

Ricci, who was recently seen on the big screen via the teen horror flick “Otlum,” said the key to winning over depression was to “accept the fact that problems are going to be part of your life, no matter how positive or rich you are.”

Ricci also said he made sure to “spend time with God through prayers. I called on to Him to teach me to react correctly to every situation. I’m just a normal person. I also make mistakes. Whatever happened to me before, I’m going to take it in a positive way. This his Him preparing me for bigger battles.”

What Ricci considered the darkest moment in his 21-year-old life happened when he left his De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers team and transferred to UP to start all over again. DLSU reportedly let go of Ricci not just because of his endorsement deals—which was in conflict with team rules—but also because he allegedly broke drug-related university rules. Contrary to speculations, Ricci eventually published test results that showed he was negative for drug use.

Ange Kouame

With the release of the documentary on iWant last Dec. 8, Ricci said he expected people who might be going through depression or something similar to seek him for advice. “This is also why I agreed to do the documentary. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to tell my story,” he told Inquirer Entertainment. “I will tell them that we have a fair God who will help us overcome these things.”

For his part, Ange said he considers coming to the Philippines as a big blessing, so he wanted to give back. “I came from a poor family in Africa—everybody knows that. A lot of kids in the world are experiencing the same thing. I want to tell them that they’re not the only ones who are going through this. That I, too, have the same story.”

“Dayories” is a series that show these cagers’ lives outside of basketball. Asked how they use their influence to be good role models to the youth, Ricci replied: “I don’t know if you guys see my social media posts. I spend as much time as I can with my little brothers when they’re in Manila.

“Sadly, I wasn’t able to enjoy growing up with them because they stay in Isabela. I want to say that family is everything. We have to tell them all the time that we love them, that we value them, and that they matter the most in our lives.”Ange said he didn’t have many followers when he was still in Africa, and that this was “something new to me. Most of my posts are about basketball and my family and friends here. I use the platform to show how I can spread happiness to others.”