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Former PBA players where are they now?

Whatever happened to Jon Ordonio?
SPORTING CHANCE
By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star) Updated January 26, 2010 12:00 AM
Former PBA cager Jon Ordonio recently sent an e-mail explaining the circumstances behind his sudden departure from Manila in November 2004. It’s been over five years since he left and Ordonio hadn’t made contact until a few days ago.

Ordonio, 33, was born in Salinas, California. His mother Corazon is a full-blooded Filipina whose father is from Bauang, La Union, and mother from Hawaii. The 6-2 guard with the 40-inch vertical leap made his PBA debut as a Fil-Am with Pop Cola in 1999. He went on to suit up for Alaska and Red Bull until for some strange reason, his name was included in a watch list of eight Fil-Am players suspected of forging documents to acquire Filipino citizenship.

Ordonio is clearly half-Filipino and there’s no doubt he has Filipino lineage.

In his six-year PBA career, Ordonio was never a star in the mold of a Ryan Reyes or a Willie Miller. He posted his highest scoring average as a rookie, hitting at a 7.5 clip in 33 games with a high of 16. Ordonio wound up averaging 3.4 points in 171 total games.

Ordonio was a role player, someone who did the dirty work on the court, picking up loose balls in wild dives, setting picks, deflecting passes and playing hard-nosed defense. He was never a serious three-point threat and in his PBA career, knocked down only 10 of 56 attempts – less than 20 percent accuracy. But Ordonio worked hard to improve, game after game, and coaches rewarded his dedication by signing him to series of contracts that extended his career to six seasons.

The way Ordonio was told to leave the country was heartless. He was given only three days to pack his belongings after making it to the Department of Justice’s black list. His wife Jacquie and their two kids Kobe, 5, and Tahjae, 3, were in shock as was Ordonio himself.

Worse, Jacquie decided to stay in Manila. Ordonio decided to leave with the two boys for the US and left his wife behind.

“It was very hard for me to leave the country (but) I knew God had a plan for me and my family,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was but because of my faith in Him, something good was going to happen. Jacquie had her own life going on. We didn’t work out but it didn’t bother me. My job was to take care of my kids. She decided to stay so I flew back with Kobe and Tahjae.”

When Ordonio and the boys got to the Manila airport to check in, he was informed that the flight to San Francisco was cancelled. Ordonio asked if they could stay the night and leave the next day but immigration officials insisted on taking the flight to Los Angeles instead.

“I had to call my parents and my dad drove all the way down to Los Angeles from Monterey (120 miles south of downtown San Francisco) to pick us up,” he recounted. “So there I was, with my kids, being escorted out of the country. My kids were young so they didn’t know what was going on and they don’t remember. The good thing about it was that I didn’t have to wait in line. I got on the plane with the boys and I prayed to God. I prayed for a safe flight. I prayed for my life to turn around, for God to take care of me and my kids. I told God I would get in the backseat because when I was in Manila, all I wanted to be was in the front seat and I did what I wanted to do. It didn’t work out and now, I cried out to God.”

Ordonio said since landing in the US, he has rediscovered himself and found a new life.

“When I got back, I went to the gym and found Taryn,” he went on. “Taryn and I went to high school together. She was in the gym watching her son because he had practice. I sat next to her, showed her pictures of my kids. We talked a bit and I went off to lift weights. Later that week, we hung out then two years later, on Jan. 21, 2007, we got married. Before that, I was in and out of court going through all the legal issues with Jacquie, going through the divorce and custody.”

Ordonio said Jacquie stayed in Manila only about six to seven months more then flew back to the US. “She was in a relationship so when she came back, it was only to visit the boys,” continued Ordonio. “She ended up staying. To make a long story short, our divorce was final and I have custody of Kobe and Tahjae. She moved down to San Diego in July 2007. Since then, she hasn’t called, texted or sent me an email to see how the boys are doing.”

Ordonio said marrying Taryn was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“The boys call Taryn mom,” he said. “Taryn has a 13-year-old son DeSean. He’s in eighth grade and he plays basketball. He has Filipino blood. His grandmother is full Filipina.”

Ordonio said Kobe is now 10 and Tahjae, eight, plus, he has a 17-month-old boy Dekota – an amalgam of the first two letters of his brothers names, DeSean, Kobe and Tahjae.

Ordonio said Kobe will become the star he never was. “On Youtube, you’ll see Kobe when he was eight and he’s way better now,” he gushed. “College kids, high school kids, you name it, are going nuts when they see him play. My stepson is about 5-8 now, very tall. Tahjae is only an inch shorter than Kobe and they’re 18 months apart. So Taryn and I have our hands full but we’re loving every minute of it. It’s a challenge at times but that’s what being a parent is all about.”
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at least he was able to move on.good for him. too bad the article did not mention his present work.
 
Albert Gidaben was in my cuz's filipino store in Union, NJ. He also ate there once. My tito said he's a bigtime celebrity / pro baller back home.

I also saw Alvin Patrimonio at the foodcourt in the mall in Paramus, NJ..don't know if he's just visiting or a resident already
 
I just saw Rudy Distrito as a reformed and free man; and has since returned to Bacolod. Saw the feature story on Korina Sanchez's show.
 
Ex-PBA cager calls unity in basketball
Monday, February 1, 2010
By Jerome S. Galunan Jr.
FORMER PBA cager Rudy Distrito Friday stressed unity in Philippine basketball which gradually has deteriorated due to factions and politics in the organization.

Distrito, who arrived in Bacolod after staying in the US for several years, cited that should the dispute among the people in the organization is not resolved, the Philippine basketball will have no where to go.

He said even how hard its lower arms strive to strengthen the development of basketball sports but would remain impossible.

Moreover, the erstwhile stalwart has disagreed moves of hiring foreign players to play in the country and becomes a candidate for naturalization.

He said there are lots of talents in the provinces that can be tapped.

“There are many talents in the provinces that were not given the chance to prove their skills,” said Distrito.

Distrito plans to conduct basketball clinics and impact his skills with local talents. He also said that he is looking forward of helping the local cagers attain their dreams of playing in big leagues in Manila.

“We need to help our local talents here even if it’s difficult to enter big leagues in Manila especially if you have no connection no matter how good a cager is,” Distrito noted.

Meanwhile, Distrito also cited that basketball sports nowadays are quite different than during their time. While the skills and performances of players improved yet the way games are being played is more commercialized, he said.

Fans are somehow neglected by these leagues. “The fans should also be given attention considering that they are the ones who give strength to the players and should not be taken for granted,” said Distrito.
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Chester Tolomia and Frederick Canlas playing in Malaysia's NBL(?)

They played for the NBL Selection that competed in Surabaya International Challenge Last December 2009...link
The experience of our senior players, Chester Tolomia and Frederick Canlas, making the team appear more often remained calm even during the game, "added Tan Kee Hian.
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former alaska forward giovanni pineda is in u.a.e.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1401380558#!/profile.php?v=info&id=1401380558

n1401380558_9359.jpg



Basic Information

Sex:Male
Relationship Status:Married
Looking For:Networking

Personal Information

About Me:Simple and happily married man

Education and Work

College:
Adamson University '92
High School:
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS '89

Employer:Foster Wheeler International Corporation
Position:Adminsistration Assistant
Time Period:January 2006 - Present
Location:Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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basketball player , rapper & boxer ?

basketball player , rapper & boxer ?

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Crisano to be a boxer? Yes, says ABAP

source: Joey Villar | philstar.com

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is planning to tap professional basketball players to fill the weight category that hasn’t really produced anything in past international competitions – heavyweight.

ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio yesterday said the best source of potential heavyweight gold medallist is in the PBA, particularly those who are big men who have expired contracts or who were cut from the team.

“That’s the reason we’re looking for Alex Crisano because he’s not only huge and athletic, we know he’s a fighter by heart,” said Gregorio.

Gregorio said they’re now looking for Crisano, a muscled 6’7” who packed power, after learning he was cut from Barako Bull’s roster in the pros.

“He hasn’t answered our calls yet but we will not give up on him, we know if given the right training and international exposures, he can be the guy that could give us our first heavyweight gold medal in boxing,” said Gregorio.

ABAP hopes to entice Crisano with the knowledge that aside from the ample monthly training allowance given to a national athlete he can also snare P3 million for a gold medal in the quadrennial Asian tilt, P1 million for a silver and P500,000 for a bronze.

That’s on top of what he will receive from the Philippine Sports Commission.

http://teampilipinas.info/2010/02/crisano-to-be-boxer-yes-says-abap.html
 
If Crisano is willing to be a boxer, i think he has a better chance of winning against SEA opponents. But i dunno if Alex has a background in boxing, he looks more of a wrestler:D
 
logre23 said:
rnhalawitempg.gif


Crisano to be a boxer? Yes, says ABAP

source: Joey Villar | philstar.com

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is planning to tap professional basketball players to fill the weight category that hasn’t really produced anything in past international competitions – heavyweight.

ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio yesterday said the best source of potential heavyweight gold medallist is in the PBA, particularly those who are big men who have expired contracts or who were cut from the team.

“That’s the reason we’re looking for Alex Crisano because he’s not only huge and athletic, we know he’s a fighter by heart,” said Gregorio.

Gregorio said they’re now looking for Crisano, a muscled 6’7” who packed power, after learning he was cut from Barako Bull’s roster in the pros.

“He hasn’t answered our calls yet but we will not give up on him, we know if given the right training and international exposures, he can be the guy that could give us our first heavyweight gold medal in boxing,” said Gregorio.

ABAP hopes to entice Crisano with the knowledge that aside from the ample monthly training allowance given to a national athlete he can also snare P3 million for a gold medal in the quadrennial Asian tilt, P1 million for a silver and P500,000 for a bronze.

That’s on top of what he will receive from the Philippine Sports Commission.

http://teampilipinas.info/2010/02/crisano-to-be-boxer-yes-says-abap.html
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Freddie Roach said that Boxers are born and not made. but why not maybe he is destined to be a boxer after basketball career and a short film with ethel booba.
 
Aqua Light said:
If Crisano is willing to be a boxer, i think he has a better chance of winning against SEA opponents. But i dunno if Alex has a background in boxing, he looks more of a wrestler:D
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Surely..He'll be the one and only heavyweight in the draw..no opponents.:) Unless Thailand manufactures one also..:)
 
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