October 2011 | SYDRIFIEDBLOG | PHILIPPINE SPORTS BLOGGER

By Sydrified
On October 20, 2011
No Comment

The last time I saw this matchup was when UST defeated Ateneo in the 2006 UAAP Finals.

The the myth of Super Ababou mellowed when Rajko Toroman demoted Dylan to reserve status.

Well, that sucked but it's not as if he is the only ex-UAAP MVP who struggled under the Serbian coaching sensation.

*cough* Rabeh Al-Hussaini *cough*

Before his entry to the Smart-Gilas squad, Ababou was the University of Santo Tomas’ scoring machine. He was part of the UST squad that wrestled the title away from Ateneo’s JC Intal, Doug Kramer, and Macky Escalona – which was enough for me to root for the endeavors of Ababou, Jervy Cruz, Khasim Mirza, Japs Cuan, Francis Allera, Mark Canlas, Jun Cortez, and the others involved in that Pido Jarencio ensemble. Ababou then emerged from the shadows of Cruz when the behemoth graduated and Dylan became the Growling Tigers’ heart and soul. He caught his UAAP Most Valuable Player trophy when he and Mirza were UST’s fangs. However, the problem is that while Ababou has the size to contend at the four spot – he is not an inside presence. UST lost the UAAP title that season because there was no one to contend against the bigs of Ateneo, UE, and FEU. This problem haunted the squad until the entry of Cameroonian Karim Abdul.

When Ababou was relegated to the ninth spot at the 2011 PBA Draft, people felt Ababou’s stock has severely fallen. Well, if you compare him to RJ Jazul – he seems luckier. Jazul fell to the mid-second round of the 2010 PBA Draft because the former Letran Knight is too offensive-minded to play the point guard position and too small to play the shooting guard role. This also sucks for Jazul because of his former Smart-Gilas and Letran tag team partner Rey Guevarra was selected as the third pick overall to the surprise of many. But while Jazul will have a shot for more minutes since he has joined former Smart-Gilas teammate Magi Sison at the Shopinas.com Clickers’ roster... Ababou will have to fight for his time against veterans Danny Seigle, Sunday Salvacion, and Leo Avenido and Ababou’s former UST teammate Allein Maliksi.

Maliksi was a mere backup to Ababou during his UST days but Maliksi spent his post-UST days honing his craft at the PBA D-League. Maliksi playing for the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems took the squad to the D-League finals. Despite failing to give the team the title, Maliksi ended up as the league’s first-ever MVP.

This is the reason why Maliksi was picked two places before Ababou. When it was Ginebra’s turn to pick, they were shocked that Ababou was still available but they resisted temptation and managed to stick with their original yearning which was Reil Cervantes.

During the 2011-12 PBA All-Filipino Cup’s first week, Ababou scored his first DNP.

That was enough to wake up Super Ababou.

I am just baffled as to why people can’t use Ababou. The guy will resort to everything just to be important. I saw him in the NBA All-Stars exhibition match doing the dirty work on the inside and making things happen for the squad. I saw him in the 2011 Jones Cup when he resisted sickness to administer the needed tools to make his self visible. I do not believe for a second that Junel Baculi had a game plan that had Dylan Ababou getting the scoring nod over Miller and Seigle. But with the inconsistency of Miller and the absence of Seigle, Baculi gave Ababou the chance to shine and he laid waste of the currently-struggling Ginebra squad. Ababou used his range to extend the defense and he was also helpful at the defensive end, especially in Barako Bull’s epic second quarter run. Ginebra had no answer for him and I wonder if Ginebra is having second thoughts because they passed up an opportunity to snag him in the draft. He finished the ballgame with 20 points – the third 20-point game for a rookie this season after Paul Lee and Mac Baracael.

He then churned out the fourth 20-point rookie game after laying waste of the undermanned Talk N Text Tropang Texters. I believe his output is more impressive here than the Ginebra game because Willie Miller had his most explosive output in five conferences with 27 points and yet he again finished with 20. Mick Pennisi, the most consistent Barako Bull player this season at 36, had 18 points. Ababou managed to dislodge Sunday Salvacion from the minutes he had in his first game and he caused Leo Avenido to DNP the team’s third game.

While the verdict is in on whether or not Ababou’s scoring outpour will continue with a healthy Seigle in tow. Salvacion and Avenido are bound to reclaim their minutes. Plus Maliksi is also impressive in their games. But as of this moment, Super Ababou takes the cake! With the Fil-Am invasion, MBA acquisitions, and the collegiate superstars that came in and dominated the league, who was the last rookie to score consecutive 20 points in their first two games in the majors?

And yeah...

VIVA SANTO TOMAS!

Game over.

By Sydrified
On October 19, 2011
No Comment

Petron's awesome duo in action.

Tim Cone has moved to B-Meg and it caused Alaska to falter. Meanwhile, Cone isn’t have it dandy with the Llamados either.

Welcome to the first edition of the 2011 PBA All-Filipino Cup Power Rankings.

By the way, this early in the contest win-loss records matter.

Game starts now!

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN:

30 KINGS / ENRICO VILLANUEVA

29 ELASTO PAINTERS / JR QUINAHAN

28 TIGERS / SEAN ANTHONY

27 CLICKERS / JOJO DUNCIL

26 LLAMADOS / KERBY RAYMUNDO

25 TIGERS / CELINO CRUZ

24 ENERGY / ALLEIN MALIKSI

23 ELASTO PAINTERS / BEAU BELGA

22 LLAMADOS / JOE DEVANCE

21 TIGERS / DOUG KRAMER

THE TOP 20:

20 ACES / JAY-R REYES

STATS: 10.3PPG – 12.0RPG – 1.3APG

In fairness to Reyes, he is doing an excellent job making sure that the Alaska fans have a reason to cheer at. With that said boy, are the Aces in need of a scorer a la Joe Devance.

19 KINGS / MARK CAGUIOA

STATS: 18.0PPG – 4.7RPG – 1.7APG

The Spark is still a great offensive performer and while his scoring "dipped", he is still the focal point of the Gins’ offense. This would be good for the Kings once they get a credible second and third option to back him up.

18 ENERGY / DYLAN ABABOU

STATS: 20.0PPG – 3.0RPG – 1.0APG – 2.0SPG

After getting benched in their first game, Super Ababou did the necessary damage to unearth Barako Bull’s first win. Is this a fluke or will this be an every game thing?

17 ENERGY / MICK PENNISI

STATS: 14.0PPG – 6.0RPG – 2.0APG – 1.0BPG

The veteran scoring of Barako Bull shouldn’t be in his hands. Sure, Pennisi is on a roll but where the hell are the awesome scoring duo of Danny Seigle and Willie Miller?

16 ELASTO PAINTERS / JEFF CHAN

STATS: 15.7PPG – 3.3RPG – 2.7APG – 1.3SPG

Wow. Is it me or is Chan looking like a young Elmer Cabahug? Well, sure he is the budget lite comparison of the early 90's player but maybe this is the year we see his growth.

15 CLICKERS / JAMES SENA

STATS: 10.7PPG – 10.7RPG – 1.3APG – 1.3BPG

Sena is the 2011 version of what Hans Thiele showed in 2010. Unlike Thiele though, the former JRU standout was a blue chipper before San Miguel wrecked up his career. Hope he does well under Franz Pumaren.

14 LLAMADOS / JAMES YAP

STATS: 16.3PPG – 5.7RPG – 2.7APG

King James wants to explode under the guidance of Tim Cone. His numbers are still there but Yap has yet to really blossom under the triangle system.

13 BOLTS / CHICO LANETE

STATS: 15.0PPG – 2.7RPG – 4.7APG – 2.3SPG

With Chris Ross injured, Ryan Gregorio is getting awesome play from his former Purefoods ward. With the injuries to their key scorers, the acquisition of Lanete is pretty much a steal for the Bolts considering that they didn't gave up anything for his services.

12 ACES / SONNY THOSS

STATS: 15.0PPG – 10.0RPG – 1.0SPG – 1.3BPG

Are LA Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio on their way out of the Aces threshold? The thing is, the two are giving up lackluster numbers. But if you think about it though, Thoss is the more sought amongst the three because of his renowned inside domination.

11 TIGERS / GARY DAVID

STATS: 23.7PPG – 3.7RPG – 2.7APG

Just when you think the Tigers have solved their limited scoring, they just revert back to their tried and tested formula that has giving the squad limited results. Wait ‘til JV Casio comes in if he can change the scoring monopoly they have right now.

10 BOOSTERS / DANNY ILDEFONSO

STATS: 7.3PPG – 8.3RPG – 3.3APG – 2.0SPG – 0.7BPG

Ever since the 2011 Governor’s Cup, Danny I is on a roll. It helps that Petron doesn’t have the luxury to rest him a bucket load of minutes. Petron is shoring up the W’s because of his efforts.

9 TROPANG TEXTERS / JAPETH AGUILAR

STATS: 17.0PPG – 5.5RPG – 1.0APG – 1.0SPG – 2.0BPG

After a horrible FIBA-Asia stint, Aguilar wants nothing to show his detractors that he is not just a high-leaper with limited capacities and that he can definitely play against the league’s best.

8 BOLTS / GABBY ESPINAS

STATS: 14.7PPG – 8.7RPG – 2.7APG – 1.7BPG

Espinas is thriving under the authority of Ryan Gregorio. With Asi Taulava concentrating on manning the rebounds, Espinas has become the go-to-guy especially with the loss of their scorers due to sickbay.

7 ELASTO PAINTERS / GABE NORWOOD

STATS: 11.3PPG – 8.0RPG – 4.0APG – 1.0SPG – 1.3BPG

By this time, people should know that Gabe Norwood is not a big-time scorer. His importance further increased in Yeng Guiao’s system when he became the team’s designated “point-forward”.

6 TROPANG TEXTERS / HARVEY CAREY

STATS: 19.5PPG – 12.0RPG – 1.0APG

With Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, and Ranidel De Ocampo starting the season with DNP’s, give it to Carey to dish out the leadership chores and to lay down the smack down on the opposing squads.

5 ELASTO PAINTERS / PAUL LEE

STATS: 19.0PPG – 5.3RPG – 5.0APG – 1.3SPG

From Cobra Commander, Lee became Yeng Guiao’s Lethal Weapon for Rain or Shine. The guy is averaging near 20 points despite the fact playing a little over 30 minutes. The rookie is showing no signs of inexperience and it helps that Lee is not one-dimensional.

4 BOOSTERS / ALEX CABAGNOT

STATS: 16.0PPG – 5.0RPG – 5.3APG – 1.0SPG – 1.0BPG

Alex Cabagnot is reaping the benefits of Petron’s sickbay stable. One of three Boosters averaging 34 minutes and more, Cabagnot is the team’s leading scorer and passer. With the way he is playing, Cabagnot is bound to have a mythical season.

3 BOOSTERS / CHRIS LUTZ

STATS: 17.7PPG – 2.7RPG – 4.7APG – 2.7SPG – 1.0BPG

Like I said, Lutz is claiming the playing time Dondon Hontiveros abandoned when he got injured. Honti will have to earn his minutes once he returns because Lutz is not going to give up his spot easily. This early, the race for the Rookie of the Year award looms to be Lutz against Lee.

2 TROPANG TEXTERS / JASON CASTRO

STATS: 16.0PPG – 6.0RPG – 7.5APG – 2.5SPG

Just like in the 2011 Governor’s Cup, Castro is exploiting Jimmy Alapag’s absence to garner monster numbers. He is Mr. All-Around for Talk N Text and the Tropang Texters need to pay him a lot of dinero in their next contract negotiation because he is too valuable to leave the squad.

1 BOOSTERS / ARWIND SANTOS

STATS: 15.3PPG – 18.0RPG – 1.3APG – 1.0SPG – 0.7BPG

Yes, you saw it. This is not Gabe Freeman... it's just Arwind Santos. Santos in three games is averaging 18 rebounds. His output is more or less the equivalent of B-Meg’s starting five. If you think Arwind Santos is greatly pissed when he was snubbed in last year’s MVP race, then with his performance you can never deny how vast his arsenal has become.

Petron has four players in the list while Talk N Text has three players inside the top ten.

Meanwhile, Ginebra needs to firm up on their representation because aside from Mark Caguioa, there are no other Gins inside the Top Twenty!

Will this still be the case in next edition?

Game over!

By Sydrified
On October 14, 2011
No Comment

Months passed after his emphatic blurt that made him a target in social media, Chris Lao is back with a vengeance.

Yes dude, the best way to stop looking like an ass is play yourself as an ass.

Let’s face it – Bill Clinton won a bunch of Americans despite exposed as a womanizer because he knows how to poke fun on himself. Now whenever Clinton is on TV, you have to expect him to poke fun at himself. I like it when Bill comes in the fray while people cringe whenever they see Monica Lewinsky. Hell, even women talk shows veer away from putting her on the spotlight. The same can be said with Al Gore’s reinvention.

And please, let’s not forget on how Charlie Sheen “won” his battle against his critics.

Back to Lao. Like I said, he salvaged respect by parodying himself with this BPI Auto Loan straight-to-Youtube TVC. It helps that the guy is polished with his articulation and could create the same emotions that is enough to duplicate his epic fail. He was never an actor to begin with but compare his acting to some “actors” on primetime TV today and you’ll he is on a class of his own. With this performance, Lao has managed to “awesome-ize” himself.

But with regards to the commercial as a whole… it was kind of so-so.

While it could have helped if Jun Veneracion was actually the one asking the questions, the promo did say that Chris Lao drove to another flood again.

Anyway one major qualm was that the creative team could have grabbed the GMA clip and it wouldn’t matter. The commercial is too factual. I would have liked this more if they “Leslie Nielsen-ed” the commercial. Leave the flood alone but exaggerate the reactions of the bystanders and the array of floating debris. Like I said, Lao’s acting is superb in this viral commercial and imagine him blurting out while the people in the surroundings slowly do crazy things.

After the graphics part, I would have given Lao a final moment to blurt out. The TVC’s running time is 75 seconds and I doubt BPI will shelve out money to give this commercial TV spots. I would have extended this to 90 seconds with him continuing to blurt out. If they want to keep it at 75 then the message of the loan should have been on around the 45-second timeline and then make it return to the Chris Lao video with the crawler saying the benefits of the auto loan.

And then add a punchline at the end to further strengthen the fact that the commercial is trying to be funny and it is not just milking on the person in the mix.

But nonetheless it was an epic commercial in the “I should be informed” kind of way.

Game over.

By Sydrified
On October 12, 2011
No Comment

Welcome to the last part of this series where we count down the best players in the PBA that had the best careers.

But hey, maybe you are reading this from last to first so in essence, you are reading the first part.

Whatever works...

Before you check out the next batch, again I suggest you to check out the guidelines. This is to calm the violent reactions I expect to unfold.

If you wonder how this system works...

CLICK THIS!

CHECK OUT THE LINKS OF NUMBERS 1 TO 90 AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE!

ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE

Here are the players that almost made the list. Either they will still have the chance to succeed in the future or they’ll forever look from the outside.

110 TONY DELA CRUZ

109 RICKY RELOSA

108 JOHN ARIGO

107 RANIDEL DE OCAMPO

106 MARK TELAN

105 FRANZ PUMAREN

104 RONALD TUBID

103 MIKE BILBAO

102 LORDY TUGADE

101 BOYBITS VICTORIA

Ranidel De Ocampo will join Gabe Norwood, Solomon Mercado, Joe Devance, and a bunch of new blood that are poised to contend on the list and will probably boot out the other superstars.

By the way, Tugade is the only Mythical Five member to not qualify the list. However, if he is given the playing time to claim 600 points and more, he will reach the 5,000 points plateau thereby giving him enough points to boot out Mr. 100 on the list.

Are you ready to find out who is Number 100?

Game starts now!

100 OMPONG SEGURA

1975 – 83

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Top 25: Scoring Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

Seven seasons tucked in his belt, Ompong was a delight to watch. I got to check a bunch of old tapes of his work and he was a big-time scoring threat. Despite playing alongside the likes of Fernandez, Jaworski, Florencio, and Arnaiz, he still kept a 14.4 career points per game.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Economic instability and the fact that the PBA is a young and unstable league led Segura to ditch the PBA. He would return in 1983 but the comeback for the then-31 year old Ompong was only good for a season. Had he played more, he would have been part of the 25 Greatest Players list.

99 CYRUS BAGUIO

SKYRUS

2003 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

1x Finals MVP

4x All-Star

Most Improved Player

1x Season Champion: Free Throws Made

1x Season Champion: Total Steals

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He is one of the best open court finishers the league has ever seen. What’s nice about Baguio is that he can do it on offense as well as in defense. He is also a proven leader as he led Red Bull one time to consecutive semifinal finishes despite Red Bull’s lack of decent bench support.

RANKED THIS LOW:

He is still relatively young and he’ll probably pad his stats more with Alaska. He also had to earn his way in Red Bull. During his rookie season, he only played 4 games and a total of 34 minutes. A couple of achievement awards could also help his cause.

98 BAL DAVID

THE FLASH

1996 – 2005

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

1x All-Star MVP

4x All-Star

Top 25: Assists Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

One of the most beloved Ginebra superstars in the 90’s, his halfcourt heave was enough to send Asi Taulava to tears. Aside from his great clutch shots, he is a selfless orchestrator who would rather playmake than score. It helped that he started and finished his career with one squad.

RANKED THIS LOW:

He started his career sharing PG duties with Pido Jarencio. When Jarencio left the squad, he had to contend with Jayjay Helterbrand. He could have earned more achievements but his career ended abruptly in 2005 when the Kings opted to not give him a contract renewal after he was sidelined for a season.

97 REY CUENCO

1986 – 95

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

Most Improved Player

1,000 Offensive Rebounds

1x Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was one of the most feared power forwards of his generation. He was a big man who was big enough to post up people but at the same time was quick enough to elude the raised hands poised to block him. He also had a decent range and was an efficient rebounder.

RANKED THIS LOW:

He was the first and only Arellano Chief to become first pick overall. He was an amazing athlete for Shell but it took him time to shine in the PBA. After he blossomed, he was sent by Shell to Ginebra for the draft rights of Romy dela Rosa where his game slowly deteriorated.

96 LARRY MUMAR

THE FOX

1975 – 81

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Top 25: Scoring Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was one of the all-time greats of Philippine basketball even at the time when the PBA has yet to exist. He is an insanely prolific scorer with a career average of 14.0ppg despite the fact that in his seven seasons, The Fox played for five different teams.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Mumar was 29 when the PBA started which in a way shortened his stint in the PBA (although Jaworski was the same age as his). Also, the five teams he played for were not championship squads. If you think about it, he’s kinda like the Bong Alvarez of his generation.

95 MARTE SALDANA

1982 – 90

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Rookie of the Year

Top 25: Assists Average

Top 25: 3-Point Percentage

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was the first San Miguel player to win Rookie of the Year honors. He was a speedster of sorts that can hit the long range bombs and at the same time attack the basket. He ended his 9-year career with an 11.3 scoring average finishing it with the Alaska Air Force.

RANKED THIS LOW:

When he played for Alaska he shared point guard duties with Frankie Lim but eventually Lim got the better in the minutes. Saldana took a backseat for his other teammates like Lim, Bogs Adornado, Ricky Relosa, Yoyoy Villamin, Dong Polistico, Rey Lazaro, and Biboy Ravanes. Saldana managed to squeak in stints with Presto and Pop Cola but he was now a shadow of his former self.

94 RUDY KUTCH

1975 – 80

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Top 25: Scoring Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

I never really saw Kutch in action but he ranks 21st in the All-Time Scoring List with 15.5ppg. At 6’3 he played center-forward for U-Tex, Filmanbank, and CDCP. During his stint with the league, he was one of the key players to outside Crispa and Toyota.

RANKED THIS LOW:

He was 27 during the first PBA season. He was probably a MICAA guy that would have loved the PBA to come in early. Had he played for a few more seasons, he could have at least had a couple of achievement awards. Also for a center, he never really registered a high amount of boards.

93 ANDY SEIGLE

THE EAGLE

1997 – 2007

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Rookie of the Year

4x All-Star

Top 25: Rebounding Average

1x Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds

RANKED THIS HIGH:

His entry instigated the influx of Fil-Ams in the late 90’s. At 6’8, Seigle was also named Kangaroo because most of his points come in dunks. He was involved in two high profile trades – one with Jerry Codinera sending Seigle to Purefoods and one with Jun Limpot to send him to Ginebra.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Unlike his brother, his scoring skills are limited. His offense concentrated on post ups, putbacks, and dunks and he wasn’t really a great passer. Perhaps the biggest flaw of his career is that he is often injured. From top draw, he was relegated to bench-warming.

92 GERRY ESPLANA

MR. COOL

1990 – 2002

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Finals MVP

Rookie of the Year

4x All-Star

5,000 Points

2,000 Assists

RANKED THIS HIGH:

Apet Jao was Presto’s top pick but instead, their second round selection won the Top Rookie Award. That’s nice. His career went on auto pilot until it hyper drove when he was traded to Shell. It is Shell where his popularity rose. One of his fave moves is when he posts up smaller guards to perfection.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Like I said, he was a good player in his pre-Shell days but it seems his career then was on auto pilot. As a testament to this, he was traded to Shell alongside Rob Wainwright for the legendary Ronnie Magsanoc. Teaming up with Benjie Paras and Chris Jackson was good for his career.

91 ELMER CABAHUG

1989 – 97

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

1x All-Star MVP

5x All-Star

5,000 Points

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was the epitome of a typical Southern gunner. He was once involved in a one-on-one trade for Alaska to get the services of Jojo Lastimosa... and Purefoods agreed. Yes, he was that good. He would then be sent to Pepsi where at one time became the team’s franchise player.

RANKED THIS LOW:

One beef I have with the playing style of Boy Cabahug is that he was just a scorer. Sure, whenever his team needs a booming triple, he will be there but as far as his other stats, they are pretty much nonexistent. If he did more, he might be placed a few spots higher.

By the way, if you want to check out the other parts of the list, here are the links!

NUMBERS 1 TO 10!

NUMBERS 11 TO 20!

NUMBERS 21 TO 30!

NUMBERS 31 TO 40!

NUMBERS 41 TO 50!

NUMBERS 51 TO 60!

NUMBERS 61 TO 70!

NUMBERS 71 TO 80!

NUMBERS 81 TO 90!

Like I said in my early blogs, I started from top to bottom because the highest-ranked players in this list are pretty obvious.

But as I said, if you want to speak ill of the list that is swamped by numerous facts... all you need to do is comment.

Game over.

By Sydrified
On October 11, 2011
No Comment

Welcome to the ninth part of this series where we count down the best players in the PBA that had the best careers.

Before you check out the next batch, again I suggest you to check out the guidelines. This is to calm the violent reactions I expect to unfold.

If you wonder how this system works...

CLICK THIS!

Like I said in my early blogs, I started from top to bottom because the highest-ranked players in this list are pretty obvious.

NUMBERS 1 TO 10!

NUMBERS 11 TO 20!

NUMBERS 21 TO 30!

NUMBERS 31 TO 40!

NUMBERS 41 TO 50!

NUMBERS 51 TO 60!

NUMBERS 61 TO 70!

NUMBERS 71 TO 80!

This will be a long read.

Are you ready for more?

Game starts now!

81 RAFI REAVIS

RAPPING REAVIS

2002 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Most Improved Player

1,000 Offensive Rebounds

Top 10: Rebounding Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He is one of the MBA superstars who did well in the PBA. He is primarily known for his rebounding which is why he holds one of the best rebounding averages in the history of the league. He has played for Coca-Cola, Ginebra, and B-Meg – and all of these teams won a title with him on the roster.

RANKED THIS LOW:

I know he is a rebounder and nothing more but back in the MBA, he was also a post-up threat. His wingspan makes it for him to scour shots in lieu for putbacks. I know he’s likely on his way to slowing down but I guess in two to three years he could claim an achievement award or two.

82 NOLI LOCSIN

THE TANK

1994 – 2005

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

5x All-Star

Top 25: Rebounding Average

1x Season Champion: Total Rebounds

1x Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds

RANKED THIS HIGH:

There was a time when Noli Locsin was an unstoppable force. At 6’3, he could bump out the Balingits and the Bolados out of their sweet spots and terrorize the shaded area offensively and defensively. Seven franchises and eleven seasons later, he held a respectable 11.3ppg and 6.2rpg.

RANKED THIS LOW:

When Locsin was traded by Ginebra to Pop Cola for Vergel Meneses, The Tank’s career went downhill. He drifted from team to team that unlike Robert Jaworski, didn’t know how to use him properly. But fact is the biggest reason why his star dropped was because of the towering Fil-Ams that made Locsin vulnerable. And while Alvin Patrimonio and Nelson Asaytono learned to adjust by nailing three pointers, he didn’t.

83 WILLIE PEARSON

1984 – 1989

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Five

1x Mythical Ten

Rookie of the Year

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He is a scoring machine during his olden days and he finished his career with 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds. He is the PBA’s first Fil-Am Rookie of the Year. He debuted in 1984 for the Redmanizers which was also Crispa’s last PBA year. He went on to play for Great Taste, Shell, and Alaska before returning to the US in 1989.

RANKED THIS LOW:

I could say that the reason behind the low rank is because he just played for six seasons. However, by this time, players may have already checked his style. Ulitmately, Pearson never thought of the PBA as a viable career because if he did, he would stick around and milk his talents to the fullest just like the late 90’s and early 2000’s Fil-Americans still playing in the PBA.

84 MIKE CORTEZ

THE COOL CAT

2003 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

1x All-Star

Top 25: Assists Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

The Cool Cat is the first pick overall in the 2003 PBA Draft besting former MBA MVP Romel Adducul and PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag. He can score and orchestrate with relative ease. He averaged in double figures for five consecutive times. During his Alaska days, Tim Cone calls him out to be his eyes and ears on the court.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Despite his amazing skills, he barely got the nod of the PBA faithful. He is only a one-time all-star while guys like EJ Feihl and Bonel Balingit has three. Also, being used as trade bait took a toll in his stats. If you think about it, before the trade that sent him to San Miguel, he was better than LA Tenorio. He scoring averages also slipped after he suffered an injury in the 2008-09 season.

85 ROGER YAP

THE RABBIT

2001 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Five

1x Mythical Ten

4x All-Star

1x All-Defensive Team

RANKED THIS HIGH:

The guy started as a sub for Purefoods, getting minimal fanfare, but after stellar performances playing for Shell and Air21, Purefoods re-acquired the Cebuano ace. He optimizes the team’s effectiveness whenever he is on board and stat-wise, he gets a lot of rebounds, assists, and steals per game.

RANKED THIS LOW:

When he was in PBL’s Chowking, he was a scoring powerhouse who always had the ball during clutch situations. This was the only arsenal that left him when he turned pro. His game changed drastically and he was relegated to his pass-first persona. It’s impossible to jumpstart his offense though considering he plays for a team that’s overloaded with talent and he is on the brink of retirement.

86 LA TENORIO

THE LIEUTENANT

2006 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Five

2x All-Star

RANKED THIS HIGH:

As his other Ateneo teammates struggle to find their place in the PBA, LA Tenorio is eager to make his mark. Coming from the star-studded 2006 draft class, Tenorio’s career took flight after he was traded to Alaska in exchange for Mike Cortez. He has since blossomed into a marquee point guard and it looks like Alaska has found their second coming of Johnny Abarrientos.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Tenorio is just starting his career. Actually he wouldn’t be in this list had not for his Mythical Five citation. If Tenorio continues to brace his PBA tenure with Alaska, then he’ll likely retire with a Hall of Fame career. Once he gets traded and loses the minutes he has with the squad, then we might see his successful stint to slip by.

87 HARVEY CAREY

THE BULLDOG

2003 – PRESENT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1x Mythical Ten

2x All-Defensive Team

500 3-Points Made

Top 25: Rebounding Average

1x Season Champion: Total Rebounds

1x Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds

RANKED THIS HIGH:

The guy is a ferocious rebounder and a dependable performer whether starting or coming off the bench. With his boundless energy, he can get his numbers despite fewer minutes and less shot selections. People have been forgetting that since 2003, Carey has scored in double figures per season thrice. Come to think of it, the guy is blessed because Talk N Text has been treating him well.

RANKED THIS LOW:

While TNT has been giving him the minutes and the breaks, you can’t help but wonder whether or not staying put with the Texters is such a good idea. With the talent load the Texters have right now, sometimes you can’t notice his game. Perhaps in another team he can have more minutes, more plays, and more achievements.

88 DONDON AMPALAYO

THE MAGIC MAN

1986 – 95

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

2x Mythical Ten

Rookie of the Year

2x All-Star

2x Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds

RANKED THIS HIGH:

Cresencio Ampalayo was groomed to become Ginebra’s next top dog following the retirement of Francis Arnaiz. The Magic Man can pull off playing all five positions thus the “Pinoy Magic Johnson” tag. He can run the floor, hit the long range bomb and claim the board when it misses. He winded up his career with 10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Despite playing for ten seasons, The Magic Man was injury prone throughout his PBA career. When Ginebra lost faith that he will have a healthy career, he was sent to Alaska and his career when downhill from there. If he had more healthy seasons, he could have been one of the best forwards the league has ever produced.

89 EDWARD JUINIO

POCH

1994 – 2008

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

2x All-Star

Most Improved Player

2,000 Defensive Rebounds

1,000 Offensive Rebounds

500 Blocks

1x Season Champion: Total Rebounds

1x Season Champion: Total Blocks

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was the towering presence in Alaska’s vaulted triangle offense in the 90’s. He is unafraid to mix it up with imports especially when it comes to rebounding opportunities and given the chance, he would score a lot. He was also a gifted passer which is why he was important in Tim Cone’s rotation.

RANKED THIS LOW:

Sure, Juinio won a grand slam with the Aces. However, remember when he was traded alongside Johnny Abarrientos for Ali Peek and Jon Ordonio? He had his best offensive season with the squad where he posted 13.3ppg. The way he played for the Pop Cola Panthers was like mixing Jun Limpot’s savvy with Dennis Espino’s inside dominance! Who knows what would happen to his career if he didn’t have too many seasons with Alaska.

90 RENE CANENT

1975 – 80

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Top 25: Assists Average

RANKED THIS HIGH:

He was one of the players in this list that I haven’t seen play. When I checked his stats, he played for Tanduay for six seasons and he checked in with a career average of 13.8 points and 4.6 assists. When I asked my dad about his game style, he said Canent was a speedster with a very smart basketball IQ. He once dished 19 assists while playing for Tanduay during the early 80’s.

RANKED THIS LOW:

If he played for another 2 or 3 seasons, he could have had 5,000 points and 2,000 assists. Instead, he chose to end his career with just six seasons. Fact is, he pioneered the PBA at 29 and his good ol’ days were seen playing for the MICAA. And yeah during those days, there were less awards given to players.

So we saw a bunch of names from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s.

Ninety were named and ten more to finalize this.

Game over.