[Streetball’s
Finest – 9.23.13] – Rising to New
Heights with SCALIA
Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls
Images: Scalia Nethanial (via email and Facebook)
Images: Scalia Nethanial (via email and Facebook)
Over
a year ago, we featured one of AND1 Malaysia’s most prominent freestylers –
Scalia Nethanial (click HERE for the
blog article published July 2012).
He’s back with a vengeance this 2013, and as always – has continued to
inspire ballers in his side of Asia. A local
fan favorite who also happens to be half-Filipino, Scalia shared with AND1 Philippines
his story behind the RISE video, the current state of freestyle in Malaysia,
and more.
Here’s
what he has got to say:
Flash: It’s
been quite some time since we last heard from you, how’re things there in
Malaysia and what have you been doing for the last year?
Scalia:
“I continued touring with
AND1 until like October 2012. Was out
for 6 months (due to some personal reasons), then AND1 called me, telling me to
return at their first event of the 2013 tour, and I did. That was the last time
I appeared at an AND1 event. It was on May 2013 at a place called IOI Mall in
Puchong. I slowly left again after
because I wanted to try doing my own thing - I was trying to build up my name
as a brand. Not that I got bored of AND1 or anything, it's huge here. It's the
biggest streetball platform in Malaysia but I wanted to try and succeed on my
own.”
Flash: What were some of the events that you
joined to build your personal brand?
Scalia:
“I just did my own shows.
I performed at a couple of other events like Drift events, phone launches, halftime
shows & more.”
Flash: What can you say about the present
state of basketball freestyling there in Malaysia?
Scalia:
"I’m the only freestyler in Malaysia to
really put freestyle/streetball on the big stage, and I don't say that in a
"braggy" way. I wish there
were more guys doing what I do (here), I’m working hard to not only raise the
AND1 Malaysia brand here but also streetball/freestyle as a whole.”
Flash: What are you aiming for as far as freestyling
and performing for the general public go?
Scalia: "The goal is to inspire more
kids to play this sport. It's healthy and it's really fun. I managed to reach
out a lot of kids this year and that's amazing. I love entertaining the kids
and putting a smile on their face."
Flash: What else keeps you busy nowadays?
Scalia: “Right
now, I’m just working on videos. I wanna
put out more contents on my Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ScaliaENT). I recently did a thing called RISE. I'm also working on another video with
Professional Drifters & emcee's right now, that should be great. I have a
lot of plans for 2014 as well.”
Flash: Tell us more about RISE. What is it all about?
Scalia:
“RISE has a message actually.
That whole 6 months that I was gone, I was working my way up from the
bottom. I was rising above every
obstacle that was thrown at me. Right
now I feel like I’m in a better position than I was (before). I thank God for allowing me to continue doing
what I love. It's great that I’m smiling
again and streetball/freestyle is the main reason for that smile.”
RISE 2013
(click to play)
Flash: Any planned collaborations with AND1
personalities?
Scalia: “I
still contact the AND1 guys. I’m also
working with 1 of them - Viktor a.k.a Blackout. We have this thing going on called
3Nine (https://www.facebook.com/the3nine). We plan on doing an event for the youth by
December 2013 or maybe before March 2014. "
Flash: What does AND1 mean to you as a person
and as a freestyler?
Scalia: “Everything
started through AND1. I LOVE AND1, I
live and breathe this brand. One day, I’ll do something big to give back to the
brand that helped me. So, thank you AND1, not just AND1 Malaysia but the entire
AND1 community.”
Flash: Any shout-outs
or anything else that you are thankful for?
Scalia: “Shout-out to you Flash for always covering my
stuff and for raising the AND1 name there in the Philippines. I’m so thankful that i got to work with AND1, I
toured to lots of places, had so much fun.”
Scalia can be found online via Twitter (@ScaliaNethanial), Facebook
fanpage (Facebook.com/RealScalia) and Instagram (@scalianethanial).
More local and international streetball players to be
featured soon. Feel free to send an
email to and1pinas@gmail.com for your suggestions
on who you want to be featured next. Don’t
forget to LIKE our Facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/and1ph)
and follow us on Twitter (@and1ph). And
that’s the 411, AND Juans!
Behind-the-scenes from the RISE video.
