4 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010 INQUIRER SPORTS TELLING THE FILIPINO STORY TO THE WORLD

The Filipino’s time to shine

From page W3
sports association) with 12 gold medals, fol-
lowed by athletics and aquatics with nine
each, billiards and boxing with eight, tradi-
tional boat race and taekwondo with six, fenc-
ing with five and bowling with four.
Metro Manila served as the main hub of the
23rd edition of the Games. Other events were
held in Bacolod, Cebu, Los Baños and Can-
lubang in Laguna, Tagaytay, Angeles City in
Pampanga and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in
Zambales.
The Philippines previously hosted the 1981
Games where it placed third behind Indonesia
and Thailand and the 1991 edition, which the
Indonesians topped by a mere two gold
medals over the Filipinos.

Unbeaten romp sparks UST 4-peat

FOR FOUR straight years,
chants of “Viva Santo
Tomas” reverberated in the
UAAP community as the
OF Tigers dominated the bas-
THE ketball scene from 1993 to
BEST 1996, an unprecedented
feat at that time.
UST started the run by sweeping all 14
matches of the 1993 season, automatically
handing the Tigers the crown. The following
year, the Final Four format was started.
UST’s title-clinching win in 1993 was made
at the expense of Adamson before it frustrated
La Salle in the next three championship fights.
The 14-0 team, coached by Aric del Rosario,
starred Dennis Espino, Bethune “Siot” Tan-
quingcen, Rey Evangelista, Rudolph Belmonte
and Patrick Fran, with alternates Bal David
(point guard), Chris Cantonjos (center) and
Edmund Reyes (forward). THE PHILIPPINES’ FIRST Jennifer Rosales (left) and Dorothy Delasin celebrate winning the Women’s World Cup over powerhouse South Korea in South Africa. AFP
All eight Tigers climbed the pro ranks, with
Tanquingcen even becoming head coach of
Ginebra and San Miguel Beer. To date, only
Espino is still playing (with Powerade) while
Evangelista (B-Meg Derby Ace), Fran (Meral-
co), Tanquingcen (San Miguel) are assistant
coaches.
Prior to 1993, UST’s last solo title came in
the 1964-65 season while in 1967-68, it
shared the championship with University of
the East after both schools refused to field
their players in the second half of Game 3.
Overall, UST and UE have 18 men’s basket-
ball titles each, next only to Far Eastern Uni-
versity’s 19.

Green Archers nail own four-peat

A NEW coach heralded a
new era.
Years of heartaches came
to an end as coach Franz
ROMY HOMILLADA

OF Pumaren transformed the

THE La Salle Green Archers
BEST from perennial brides-
maids to fierce champions.
It seemed like beginner’s luck for then first-
time coach Pumaren, a recently retired profes-
sional cager who took over as La Salle mentor
in 1998.
But boasting a solid program and a roster
stocked with talent, the Archers ruled the
UAAP men’s basketball tournament from
1998 to 2001 to slay the ghosts of their forget-
table runner-up finishes.
La Salle won back-to-back titles in 1991 and
1992, but soon became the league’s heart-
break kids after finishing as runners-up six
times in seven years, three of which came dur-
ing University of Santo Tomas’ own four-peat
from 1993 to 1996.
But the players eventually basked in glory,
and impressively, three La Salle stand-
outs—Most Valuable Player Don Allado, point
guard Dino Aldeguer and triggerman Renren
Ritualo—made it to the 1998 Mythical Five.
La Salle capped its record championship
run with no less than a 2001 finals victory over
fierce rival Ateneo, where Ritualo again shone
along with prized guard Mike Cortez, Carlo
Sharma and Willy Wilson.
A final feat that, unquestionably, sweetened
La Salle’s phenomenal run.
Stags’ NCAA five-peat
HALF a decade of domi-
nance.
San Sebastian practically
owned the ’90s as the
OF Stags, boasting a nucleus of
THE the country’s top amateur
BEST standouts, strung up an un-
precedented five consecu-
tive NCAA championship crowns.
The Stags steamrolled their way to the
men’s basketball pinnacle from 1993 to 1997
with Romel Adducul, the 6-foot-6 center as
cornerstone of a powerful lineup who went on
to bag the Most Valuable Player plum thrice.
San Sebastian, indeed, made the rest of the
field seem like minnows with a roster that also
featured 6-foot-5 Aramis Calpito and 6-4 Brix-
ter Encarnacion patrolling the shaded lane
and wily guards Ulysses Tanigue and Jasper
Ocampo manning the backcourt.
And like a sweet championship fairytale,
the Stags even marked their historic fifth title
with a perfect season.
With still 11 holdovers in the fold, the Stags
streaked to 13 straight victories to complete
an unbeaten season and record the first five-
peat in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
The Stags cruised past the San Beda Red
Lions, 84-72, in the 1997 Finals.
Adducul, unstoppable underneath, defied
the help-defense thrown against him and
FILIPINO baseballers celebrate their victory in the 2005 SEA Games. AP RENREN Ritualo on cloud nine after the La Salle Green Archers completed their UAAP four-peat.
The Warriors went into the title series look-
ing to nail a third straight championship, but
they were clearly not the team they were in
the two previous seasons, losing chief gunner
Allan Caidic to graduation.
Still, Codiñera, who split time with UE and
the national team, had ample support in the
likes of collegiate standouts Boysie Zamar,
Vernie Villarias and Ting Hojilla.
But with Altamirano leading UP’s scoring
charge—he finished with 26 points in the final
game of the season where he won MVP hon-
ors—the Maroons simply outclassed the War-
riors, 98-89. Paras, Magsanoc, Joey Mendoza
and Joey Guanio helped keep the UP machine
humming at the Ultra (now the PhilSports
Arena) to lead State U to the crown.
Back then, it was a huge story—it made the
INQUIRER’S front page and merited an editorial
to boot—because of the length of time it took
before the Maroons clinched the premier bas-
ketball varsity crown in the country.
Today, with UP still unable to duplicate the
feat, that victory remains etched in hoop histo-
ry as the day the Fighting Maroons were
No. 1.
Grand-slam Beermen roll out barrel
VERY FEW people may
have noticed it, but San
Miguel Beer’s Grand Slam
in 1989 was actually set in
OF motion in the previous
THE year.
BEST The Beermen ruled the
Open Conference but failed
MIKEE Cojuangco- Tanigue, barely 5-foot-8, struck from the out- to prove it could win without an import, as its
Jaworski carries the side to trigger a 13-point avalanche that glut of talented young stars needed a different
Philippine flag buried the stunned Lions, 62-48, for good. type of veteran leadership than the one Abet
shortly after clearing Guidaben provided.
the final barrier and Victorious Maroons paint the town red After finishing fourth in the All-Filipino in
completing a perfect BENJIE PARAS, Ronnie 1988, the Beermen made their move, trading
ride that clinched for Magsanoc and Eric Altami- Guidaben for controversial but all-around big
her the gold medal in rano couldn’t have grasped man Mon Fernandez. And the 6-foot-4 bean-
equestrian’s jumping the kind of history they pole proved his worth immediately by helping
competition at the OF were forging one October the San Miguel win the 1988 Reinforced Con-
Busan Asian Games THE afternoon in 1986. ference.
in South Korea. The BEST University of the Philip- When the curtains were lifted off the 1989
gold she snatched on pines, the country’s premier season, the Beermen looked sharp, deep and
the final day of the academic institution whose foray into college poised to dominate.
Games sent the basketball had been filled with heartache, was With Fernandez were the likes of Samboy
national delegation suddenly stood at the cusp of hoop glory. Lim, Hector Calma, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dig-
home on the wings of Against the University of the East’s vaunted nadice, Alvin Teng and Franz Pumaren. Coach
victory. machine, led by King Warrior Jerry Codiñera, Norman Black had in his disposal a collection
the Fighting Maroons had removed one hur- of talent very few teams could match.
dle to the championship. UP won the first The Beermen defeated Shell in the Open
game of the series and moved to within a vic- Conference, silencing the tandem of Benjie
tory of its first UAAP crown in 46 years. Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc in a 4-1 trashing.
The acid test came in the All-Filipino,
against a Purefoods squad that would make
winning the league’s most prestigious trophy a
part of its tradition. Still, the Beermen defeat-
ed the Alvin Patrimonio-led Hotdogs in six
games.
The Beermen got off to a poor start in the
Reinforced Conference, losing its first two
games with import Keith Smart in tow. But the
Beermen brought in Ennis Whatley as replace-
ment and went on to defeat Añejo Rhum in
the finals to seal one of the greatest seasons in
PBA history.
Aces record fourth PBA grand slam
ALASKA COACH Tim Cone
summed up his team’s
1996 virtuoso act in five
words: “Special people
OF achieve special things.”
THE Johnny Abarrientos, Jo-
BEST jo Lastimosa, Bong
Hawkins, Jeffrey Cariaso
and Poch Juinio certainly proved in one sea-
son just how special they were, leading an
Alaska charge that saw the team win the PBA’s
last Grand Slam thus far.
Alaska opened up its triple crown by defeat-
ing Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera and the
Purefoods Hotdogs in the All-Filipino.
Its toughest challenge, though, came in the
Commissioner’s Cup finals against a veteran
Shell squad coached by Perry Ronquillo, who
matched wits with Cone in a seven-game se-
ries that went the distance and featured verbal
jousts between both camps. In the end, Cone,
who likened Alaska to “sharks,” defeated Ron-
quillo’s “dolphins” for the title.
Shell, whose import Kenny Redfield gua-
ranteed a victory, was led by Benjie Paras and
Vic Pablo.
Alaska, meanwhile, was led by Sean Cham-
bers, who played in the Commissioner’s Cup
despite the height handicap after Derek
Hamilton was tested positive for drugs.
When the Governors Cup rolled around,
Alaska could virtually smell the Grand Slam,
with Chambers returning for a tour of duty.
Alaska simply continued its winning ways as
other squads needed a couple of games to jell
with their imports.
The Milkmen’s final hurdle was Gordon’s
Gin, but the Boars did not offer much of a
fight. Alaska won the first three games before
easing on the gas pedal the next two.
In Game Six, though, it was all over as the
amazing Alaska Aces finally sealed their own
special season.