Mammie's missing Daddy

(c) Sherwin Vardeleon

"Sa mga Pilipino, you’re dealing with 16 types of egos, and Charles Mammie - he has a lot of egos."

"I’m dealing with him daily per game basis, per half basis, per quarter basis, per minute basis. Kung sana lang mas marami pa akong factory na pasensya."

"He has gone through a lot: suspensions, bago mag-opening, yung documents nya, and now, we really had this time together to get back-to-back wins after we had back-to-back losses."

"I have to deal with him everyday. Pero sabi ko nga, buti nang Rufina Patis, wag lang toyo."

"I think Charles Mammie is an emotional, 20-year-old, 6-foot-9, 300-plus pounds and cries like a baby."

Throughout the course of the UAAP Season 76, then-UE coach Boycie Zamar always had a handful of words to describe his enigmatic center Charles Mammie, whether it may be for his on-court dominance or his off-the-court antics.

But before the preparation for the upcoming UAAP season started in the Red Warrior camp, the team was given a news which shocked every one.

Zamar has been sacked, and in comes Derrick Pumaren.

Though it may seem like Zamar and Mammie had a tumultuous relationship on-court in their time together, we can say that there is more than meets the eye.

"Coach Boycie was a dad to me, and I'm his child. He's not just a coach to me. We spend time together and we're really close," bared the Sierra Leone-born big man. "So when the news came out that he was fired, it was a surprise."

Undergoing physical therapy that day, a team staff broke the news to the now-21-year-old. He recalls, "I was not in school that day, and they called me and said, 'Hey, coach Boycie has been fired.' And I was like, 'Wow. Really?'"

Charles was in disbelief on what just transpired, and the two years of bond he had with his second dad was done on a flick of his fingers.

"It was shocking because we had that bond, and when he was fired, that was it," he said. "I was very sad. I had to get used to that. I cried a lot. Its like I miss somebody."

In the games, its always seen that Zamar constantly talks to his center, keeping his tempers in check and his focus solely on the game.

"He's all about motivating. Coach will come in and we'll just follow his directions,"  Mammie said.

He also added that his relationship with the UE legend continues after the final buzzer.

"Coach Boycie and I talk personally. We always talk stuff and he knows a lot about me. We spend time and have dinners with his family. We go to church, we talk a lot. I tell him what's my problems, what's going on with me. We're very close."

He adds, "We're a family, and in the end, its gonna be better."

Before Zamar left, he still had a chance to address the team he steered to the championship of the 2013 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup in the preseason, not to mention other international tourneys in the region.

"When he left, he just said that there will sure be a new system, and whoever comes in, be professional," Charles reminisced, trying his best to hold his tears. "You have to be professional. Who goes out and who comes in, its all for the better of the basketball team."

Zamar also didn't forget to address his "son" as he reminded the big guy of the things he need to do for his own good.

"He told me that I play for the school, for myself, and for my fans. And whatever happens happens," said Mammie. "I miss coach Boycie a lot, and at the same time, I have to adjust. It feels like I'm a rookie again."

In return, the hulking rebounding mammoth assured his "dad" that "I'll be professional. Everything else is going to follow."

With a big chunk of last season's team gone, Mammie said that this second playing year for him is very reminiscent of his rookie year, in terms of the changes the team has to undergo before the season started.

"Its like the team is a new team. There are new players, new coach, and its all for my school," he said.

"Me and (Roi) Sumang had to get together for a while, and the new guy (Moustapha Arafat) plays the two and three positions, and I play the five, so there were changes. I improved my game from last year to this year, like shooting the ball, and I'll just play basketball for my team."

Though the Red Warriors could not defend their Filoil preseason title after just going on a 3-3 slate in the group stages, it has been a summer of learning for the squad, most especially for Mammie under the stern supervision of Pumaren.

"I'm learning how to be more patient and more mature," he shared with a chuckle, remembering that his outbursts led to his ejections and suspensions which ruled him out of the season's awards.

"I'm still adjusting to the system. I feel like there are ups and downs in my game, but I'm still fighting."

They say your environment shapes your character, but its still yourself who chooses who you will be.

For Charles, nobody knows if he can replicate his head-turning rookie season or he'll struggle with UE's new system, if he'll still have in-game outbursts which might led to his downfall or his competitive fire to propel the Red Warriors to the top.

But for his "Dad" Zamar, he has long figured out what makes Charles Mammie such a character in the collegiate basketball scene.

"Charles Mammie is Charles Mammie," he said.