Unknown Amateurs who Surprised the PBA

[bolabasket2]

Guys, this thread talks about unknown and low key basketball players who were either underrated or never heard in the amateur ranks, PBL, NCAA, UAAP, etc... who surprised the PBA. An opposite of another thread in ths forum. These players were not scorers in the PBL, just role players with non-superstar status and sportswriters did not expect much from them to create impact in the PBA.

I can list some of them below:

1. Mark Caguioa - virtually unknown until Ginebra drafted him 3rd. he's our go-to-guy now with RP Team.
2. Jimmy Alapag - another unknown Fil-Am baller who tried out for our Asiad team in 2002; some PBA fans were swooning over this 5-8 playmaker when he first played limited minutes (due to injury) in a friendly game for RP Team way back in 2002.
3. Freddie Abuda - played forward for Crispa in the PBL, but excelled in the PBA with SMB as a defensive demon.
4. Topex Robinson - played for several PBL teams; with his lean 5-7 frame, who would have thought he'd still be around in the PBA with Red Bull.
5. Porferio "Jun" Marzan - role player in the amateurs but excelled as a defense specialist in the PBA together with Freddie Abuda
6. Edward "Poch" Juinio - starting center for UP but starred during Alaska's grand slam year.

Perhaps there are many more....

 

[rycorpz2]

Juinio a member of 1993 RP Sea games Gold medal team along with siot Tanquincen

 

[Dinamita2]

Danny Ildefonso?..
It was all Rommel Aduccul during their time but look at him now... 2 MVP's at PBA...

 

[saints132]

Carlos Sharma? nobody thought that he will be a regular guy on the floor for Red Bull (nobody thought that powerhouse Red Bull will be depleted on the frontline)

 

[reamily2]

Carlos Sharma? nobody thought that he will be a regular guy on the floor for Red Bull (nobody thought that powerhouse Red Bull will be depleted on the frontline)

You're right saints

 

[saints132]

another one is Coca Cola's smart 6'1 PG Chris Pacana from St. Francis. his start in the PBA as a 06-07 rookie was a surprise, since he was activated from the reserve list due to Coca Cola's depleted backcourt.

he was a crucial player for the Tigers and also entrusted with dying second shots not til Sta. Lucia stars Kenneth Duremdes and Alex Cabagnot fled to the Tiger's Den which eventually sent the Chris Pacana and Joseph Yeo duo to the bench doing literally "apirs" during breaks and time-outs.

 

[manu_bol2]

i can think of mostly guards...

bigs always come into the pba with hype. even without talent as long as you're tall, you'de be a hot commodity in the pba

arboleda, helterbrand, racela, agustin, torion, and junthy valenzuela

 

[ROLZ92]

i can think of mostly guards...

bigs always come into the pba with hype. even without talent as long as you're tall, you'de be a hot commodity in the pba

arboleda, helterbrand, racela, agustin, torion, and junthy valenzuela

Torion was already making a name then. For me its Renato Agustin a 2nd round draftpick of SMB who became a star and an MVP of the star studded SMB line-up.

 

[ROLZ92]

For me its Renato Agustin...

A second round draft pick of San Miguel Beer who became an MVP and a certified superstar.

 

[b3lowzro2]

Danny Ildefonso?..
It was all Rommel Aduccul during their time but look at him now... 2 MVP's at PBA...

well they played in different leagues; Danny I. starred for NU while Adducul starred in SSC-R. During that time it was all Lasalle in UAAP while in the NCAA it was all Baste!
________
HIGHWAY HI-FI

 

[manu_bol2]

well they played in different leagues; Danny I. starred for NU while Adducul starred in SSC-R. During that time it was all Lasalle in UAAP while in the NCAA it was all Baste!

in the pbl, danny i was playing for redbull/agfa while rommel for chowking...

before the pba draft, ron jacobs was interviewed... he said that danny ildefonso was 'the best talent around' during that time. san miguel drafted ildefonso while adducul proceed to play in the mba

 

[saints132]

reminiscing 1998-1999

reminiscing 1998-1999

well they played in different leagues; Danny I. starred for NU while Adducul starred in SSC-R. During that time it was all Lasalle in UAAP while in the NCAA it was all Baste!

it's true, that Adducul was more popular back in College because Baste and Beda always meet each other in the NCAA Finals back then, while NU and Danny I is nowhere near the UAAP Finals if I'm not mistaken, and the UAAP MVP's were La Salle's Mark Telan and UST's Chris Cantonjos.

in the pbl, danny i was playing for redbull/agfa while rommel for chowking...

before the pba draft, ron jacobs was interviewed... he said that danny ildefonso was 'the best talent around' during that time. san miguel drafted ildefonso while adducul proceed to play in the mba

During their PBL years, they both got a fair share of the MVP award. but when they suited up for the RP NT, man, Ildefonso, Cantonjos and Telan were on the shadows of Rommel Adducul. Adducul did it all, on the O and on the D, while Danny I only have a dunk and a raise-the-roof for the fans, most of the time he got technical fouls when he misses dunks, naglalambitin kase sa ring eh.hehe. about Telan and Cantonjos, not much of a factor.

Maybe Ron Jacobs saw potential in Ildefonso that's why SMB pirated him from the Pangasinan Presidents. but on my opinion, back in 1999, Rommel Adducul is better than Danny Ildefonso, no doubt.

I wonder what happened to Adducul's skills, maybe he got sloppy after Asunta left her and married Jules. LOL

 

[ROLZ92]

Blame Assunta for the declined of Rommels skills and agility hehehe

 

[manu_bol2]

i think what ron jacobs saw on danny i was his mobility. mas suave na ang galaw ni danny nuon, while si adducul bangga lang ng bangga. ron really wanted an agile big man for san miguel. moreover, danny was more polished with his skills at that point in time, while rommel, used his body effectively against the smaller and lanky centers of other southeast asian teams...

maybe ron jacobs saw that a mobile 6'6 player will be more effective in the PBA than a 6'6 banger. a couple of years later... agile 6'6 fil-ams invaded the PBA.

the 6'6 center built like a codinera is now a dying breed not only in the PBA but also in international competitions.

 

[Servinio2]

3. Freddie Abuda - played forward for Crispa in the PBL, but excelled in the PBA with SMB as a defensive demon.

Freddie Abuda played in the PBL for Triple-V out of the University of the Visayas.

 

[rhk1112]

the 6'6 center built like a codinera is now a dying breed not only in the PBA but also in international competitions.

So true. Even at PF, a 6'6" player at the no. 4 position at major Asian competitions like the FIBA Men's tournament are UNDERSIZED.

The thing is, we keep getting a lot of them. Just look at the no. of notable big men in the UAAP & NCAA right now who are in that height range.

We need to grow taller.

 

[manu_bol2]

So true. Even at PF, a 6'6" player at the no. 4 position at major Asian competitions like the FIBA Men's tournament are UNDERSIZED.

The thing is, we keep getting a lot of them. Just look at the no. of notable big men in the UAAP & NCAA right now who are in that height range.

We need to grow taller.

man, i hate our college coaches.. look at bono and quinahan. i don't think they will be effective internationally. can't they teach our 6'6 players guard skills? do they have to play post-up the whole game?

going back to the topic. i guess danny and rommel didn't really surprise the pro league because even in the pbl, they were hyped to be the next best big men in the pba. in the country, if you're a 6'6 and above you'll be surely drafted by pba teams

 

[saints132]

i think what ron jacobs saw on danny i was his mobility. mas suave na ang galaw ni danny nuon, while si adducul bangga lang ng bangga. ron really wanted an agile big man for san miguel. moreover, danny was more polished with his skills at that point in time, while rommel, used his body effectively against the smaller and lanky centers of other southeast asian teams...

maybe ron jacobs saw that a mobile 6'6 player will be more effective in the PBA than a 6'6 banger. a couple of years later... agile 6'6 fil-ams invaded the PBA.

the 6'6 center built like a codinera is now a dying breed not only in the PBA but also in international competitions.

siguro nga, mas agile talaga si Danny I at hindi naman kailangan na ni Ron Jacobs ng all-around big man dahil starstudded na ang SMB. and it's really hard to compare these two guys, since Danny I is the exciting type and Adducul is the boring type (banggaan player ala-Patrimonio).

but I've seen Adducul before the SEA Games, in a FIBA Asian All-Star, back in his Chowking days in PBL if I'm not mistaken, he had bigger defenders, he plays SF but he is a post player, he's like a Charles Barkley in that game and eventually he won an MVP. back then Adducul was very strong as in solid talaga, talagang hindi lang talaga naggrow yun skills niya thru time, sayang.

translation:
I don't know, but maybe Ron Jacobs saw Danny I as the piece to solidify the SMB line-up.

 

[saints132]

So true. Even at PF, a 6'6" player at the no. 4 position at major Asian competitions like the FIBA Men's tournament are UNDERSIZED.

The thing is, we keep getting a lot of them. Just look at the no. of notable big men in the UAAP & NCAA right now who are in that height range.

We need to grow taller.

no choice..

the fact that RP is a basketball crazy country, almost half of the population knows basketball and plays basketball..problem is, only few of that population are tall..

we can't grow taller, the SBP should be aware of that fact..they should select young promising cagers to undergo a different training...somewhat like the big man's camp..

I'm really glad that Gian Chiu and Japeth Aguilar was advised to go abroad...

 

[DaveMap20072]

You're right saints

Carlos Sharma started in San Sebastian before leaving for the Dela Salle Green Archer....His really unknown during that time specially suddenly showing up in Dela Salle and even in Dela Salle he was not that "star". Known only for the Enrico encounter