PBA Trivia

[mon23]

I remember this period. But when this ridiculous rule was scrapped I recall Mon Fernandez and Yoyoy Villamin playing together for Manila Beer. I think this was the time when Manila Beer was coached by Joe Lipa?

Not only Fernandez but Guidaben and Villamin became teammates as well at Manila Beer, both Abet and Yoyoy were handled by Joe Lipa during the first conference of 1986, Bicolano superman has come to his own the following season that the PBA soon put him in company of Guidaben, Fernandez and Victorino.

[Jay P. Mercado]

Not only Fernandez but Guidaben and Villamin became teammates as well at Manila Beer, both Abet and Yoyoy were handled by Joe Lipa during the first conference of 1986, Bicolano superman has come to his own the following season that the PBA soon put him in company of Guidaben, Fernandez and Victorino.

Actually, the timeline was:

1981-1984 - Abet Guidaben and Yoyoy Villamin were together with Crispa

1984 - Ramon Fernandez joined Beer Hausen after Toyota disbanded

1985 - Villamin joined Fernandez at Beer Hausen after Crispa's disbandment. Guidaben went to Tanduay, Manny Victorino was still with Great Taste Coffee. Philip Cezar joined Shell Azodrin Bugbusters after Shell bought Crispa's franchise. 3rd conference of the season, Fernandez and Guidaben were traded for each other.

1986 - Guidaben and Villamin were together playing for Manila Beer (new name of Beer Hausen) while Fernandez suited up for Tanduay. Victorino remained with Great Taste while Cezar remained with Shell.

1987 - Shell trades Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa and the first round pick for the season (turned out to be Allan Caidic) for Manny Victorino, Jimmy Manansala and another player whose name I forget, of Great Taste. Manila Beer also disbands, sending Villamin to Hills Bros forming the Bruise Brothers tandem with Ricky Relosa. Guidaben dons the San Miguel Beer jersey.

[fadzki]

Actually, the timeline was:

1981-1984 - Abet Guidaben and Yoyoy Villamin were together with Crispa

1984 - Ramon Fernandez joined Beer Hausen after Toyota disbanded

1985 - Villamin joined Fernandez at Beer Hausen after Crispa's disbandment. Guidaben went to Tanduay, Manny Victorino was still with Great Taste Coffee. Philip Cezar joined Shell Azodrin Bugbusters after Shell bought Crispa's franchise. 3rd conference of the season, Fernandez and Guidaben were traded for each other.

1986 - Guidaben and Villamin were together playing for Manila Beer (new name of Beer Hausen) while Fernandez suited up for Tanduay. Victorino remained with Great Taste while Cezar remained with Shell.

1987 - Shell trades Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa and the first round pick for the season (turned out to be Allan Caidic) for Manny Victorino, Jimmy Manansala and another player whose name I forget, of Great Taste. Manila Beer also disbands, sending Villamin to Hills Bros forming the Bruise Brothers tandem with Ricky Relosa. Guidaben dons the San Miguel Beer jersey.

Talk About Trivia's... Old School... A way to know about PBA history...

[Jay P. Mercado]

The third player from Great Taste that suited up for Shell in that three way trade was actually 1984 Rookie of the Year William Pelayo Pearson. Pearson, a Fil-AM, was part of the original NCC Training Team formed in 1981. The other Fil-AM in that team was Ricardo Vidal Brown. The two homegrown talents were Jayvee Yango and Frankie Lim. The remaining 8 players were American players projected for naturalization. These were:

1. Steve Schall
2. Steve Lingerfelter
3. Dennis Still
4. Jeffrey Moore
5. Willie Polk
6. Bruce Webster
7. Eddie Joe Chavez
8. Michael Antoine

[Sakamoto]

Elmer Cabahug is the 1st rookie MVP of the all star game of the PBA when the Veterans vs Rookie/sophomore/junior started in the 1989 season.

Antero Saldana, who played for toyota in his rookie year, is the youngest ever player to play in the PBA at the age of 17. He was straight from high school(ala kobe bryant).

[The_Big_Cat]

Elmer Cabahug is the 1st rookie MVP of the all star game of the PBA when the Veterans vs Rookie/sophomore/junior started in the 1989 season.

Antero Saldana, who played for toyota in his rookie year, is the youngest ever player to play in the PBA at the age of 17. He was straight from high school(ala kobe bryant).

Alaska had a great trio of rookies that year. Paul Alvarez (#21), Eric Altamirano (#11) and Elmer Cabahug (#9). I am not sure though if Dong Polistico came in the PBA and Alaska that year.

Interestingly, Cabahug replaced Alaska's resident three-point specialist and veteran Ludovico "Naning" Valenciano, who happens to wear the number 9 jersey for Alaska as well.

[Big Ticket]

Alaska had a great trio of rookies that year. Paul Alvarez (#21), Eric Altamirano (#11) and Elmer Cabahug (#9). I am not sure though if Dong Polistico came in the PBA and Alaska that year.

i think it's ricric marata (#23) and not altamirano...

[jam]

request

hi...do you have a picture of frigidaire team on ncaa 1978 specifically the player name Jose S. Santos? thanks...

[RockMe]

I have always criticized the PBA history books on this. They kept on referring to John Kazmer, who played for the U/Tex Wranglers in 1981, as the very first caucasian import to play in the PBA. This is incorrect.

There were a couple of caucasian imports who have already played prior to Kazmer's arrival. Lee Haven, the 6'6 reinforcement of the U/Tex Weavers in 1975 and 1976, was white. Ditto with Tanduay import Kevin Cluess and Timmy Hirten who both played in the late 70's and early 80's. Another white import, the 7'1 Jim Zoet (who also played for the Canadian national team in the 1978 World Basketball Tournament held in Manila) suited up for the Finance Funders (a Coseteng team) in 1981. Zoet may also be considered a rare recruit, as there have only been a handful of seven footers who have played in the PBA (other notables include Earl Barron of Red Bull, Darryl Johns of Coke, Steve Stroud of 7/UP, Lorenzo Coleman of Purefoods, Nate Stephens of Royal Tru Orange, Jeff Wilkins and George Lister of CDCP, etc) And of course, who can forget Pete Crotty, the very first import of the Crispa Redmanizers in the pioneer 1975 season? Crotty, the 6'9 gangling center, teamed up with the 6'6 Johnny Burks in powering Crispa to a runnerup finish against Toyota in the 1975 Open and a championship in the 1975 Philippine Cup.

I remember running into Timmy Hirten in Iraq (2007). He is now Father Timmy in the United States Air Force. He kept telling me stories about his days with the PBA but I just couldn't bring my mind back that far. Or maybe because we didn't have a TV back then. Anyway, thanks for mentioning his name.

[fordmo47]

4. Danny Florencio used three jersey numbers in his 8-year stint with the PBA. He used to wear #8 while with the U/Tex Weavers and the 7/UP Uncolas, then used #44 while playing for Toyota, and, after one year of not playing with the Tamaraws in 1979, came back to wear #22.

Danilo Z. Florencio also wore # 28 in his last PBA stint with Galerie Dominique in 1983. This was also the last PBA stint of Estoy Estrada who only played in the opening game and never came back.

[fordmo47]

First 7 Foot Import

To my memory, the first 7 footer Import was Larry Bunce of Crispa in 1972. Yes there were tall ones already like Meralco's Bob Presley who reportedly tipped in at 6' 11" but Bunce was the first acknowledged 7 foot tall import in the Philippines.

His stint here was so much ballyhooed that there were so many publicity photos of him and Virgilio "Billy" Abbarientos (Johnny's uncle) posing together to mark the difference of their heights. Before he was caught up in the Crispa controversy, Billy's claim to fame was that at 5' 5", he was the shortest player in the MICAA.

The National Seniors finals turned out ot be a classic confrontation among six imports. In those days, it is only with the MICAA that imports could play one at a time. In other tournaments, everything goes. The game was a precursor to the days of the Fil-Ams who you can not sometime distinguish a local from an import. Crispa's import troika of Tom Cowart, Paul Scranton and Larry Bunce won over Mariwasa's troika of Billy Robinson, Israel "Cisco" Oliver (yes they played together in one team!) and Carl Ashley.

Incidentally, Larry Bunce was also white.

[oca]

To my memory, the first 7 footer PBA Import was Larry Bunce of Crispa in 1972. Yes there were tall ones already like Meralco's Bob Presley who reportedly tipped in at 6' 11" but Bunce was the first acknowledged 7 foot tall import in the Philippines.

His stint here was so much ballyhooed that there were so many publicity photos of him and Virgilio "Billy" Abbarientos (Johnny's uncle) posing together to mark the difference of their heights. Before he was caught up in the Crispa controversy, Billy's claim to fame was that at 5' 5", he was the shortest player in the MICAA.

The National Seniors finals turned out ot be a classic confrontation among six imports. In those days, it is only with the MICAA that imports could play one at a time. In other tournaments, everything goes. The game was a precursor to the days of the Fil-Ams who you can not sometime distinguish a local from an import. Crispa's import troika of Tom Cowart, Paul Scranton and Larry Bunce won over Mariwasa's troika of Billy Robinson, Israel "Cisco" Oliver (yes they played together in one team!) and Carl Ashley.

Incidentally, Larry Bunce was also white.

I don't mean to nitpick, but didn't the PBA open shop in 1975?

Or, did Bunce first played here in 1972, and again in the PBA later?

[fordmo47]

I don't mean to nitpick, but didn't the PBA open shop in 1975?

Or, did Bunce first played here in 1972, and again in the PBA later?

Thanks for the question. My bad. I will edit my umpteenth mistake.

[EaglesEye]

I don't mean to nitpick, but didn't the PBA open shop in 1975?

Or, did Bunce first played here in 1972, and again in the PBA later?

Yes you're right. The PBA was inaugurated in 1975.
Probably he is refering to the old MICAA, the commercial
league before he PBA was born. Because during that MICAA days,
teams were already reinforced by imports.

[Jay P. Mercado]

I don't mean to nitpick, but didn't the PBA open shop in 1975?

Or, did Bunce first played here in 1972, and again in the PBA later?

Good point Oca. But I think Fordmo was referring to the first seven foot import to play in local shores, amateur or professional. I don't recall Bunce much, as I only started following the game in 1973, particularly during the ABC tournament held here in Manila.

Fordmo's trivia on Bunce is very interesting especially considering that we don't normally have 7 foot imports playing in the country. Of course, we had a couple of seven footers in the 2008-2009 Fiesta Conference when we saw Chris Alexander and Adam Parada playing for Ginebra and Red Bull, respectively, and a couple of 6'11's in Wesley Wilson of Sta. Lucia and Jameel Watkins of Magnolia. Reminds me of the time when CDCP paraded the tallest import combo in the history of the PBA (perhaps, the history of PHL basketball) in the 6'11 Edmond Lawrence and the 7'0 George Lister. If I'm not mistaken, Lister was replaced by the 7'0 Jeff Wilkins when the Builders couldn't make a dent against the powerhouse teams.

Here's a list of former 7 footers who have played in the PBA:

1. Nate Stephens - Royal Tru Orange
2. Steve Stroud - 7/UP
3. Earl Barron - Red Bull
4. Adam Parada - Red Bull
5. Chris Alexander - Ginebra
6. Darryl Johns - Coke
7. George Lister - CDCP
8. Jeff Wilkins - CDCP
9. Jim Zoet - Finance Inc.
10. Lorenzo Coleman - Purefoods

Kindly feel free to add more names in this stratospheric list...