The Philippines is crazy about basketball. The country is home to one of the
world's oldest professional leagues called the Philippine Basketball Association.
There is a semi-pro league called the Philippine Basketball League. The two
premier college leagues are the UAAP and the NCAA.
The PBA Season is 10 months long and
is divided into three tournaments called Conferences. The Conferences are: The
All-Filipino Cup, The Commissioner's Cup, and The Governors' Cup. The most
prestigious of the three is the All-Filipino, whose champion is considered the
best team in the land. The other two Conferences feature imports with a specific
height restriction. The Commissioner's Cup allows one import per club with a
6-8 height limit. The Governors' Cup has one import per team with combined height restriction of 6 feet 4 inches.
Only three teams have won all three titles in one season; Crispa in 1976 and 1983,
San Miguel Beer in 1989, and Alaska Milk in 1996.
The PBA's best players are: Marlou Aquino, a 6-9 centre with Ginebra; 3-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio of Purefoods; Shell's 6-4 forward Benjie Paras; Purefoods' Centre Jerry Codinera, who stands 6-6; Sta. Lucia's Zandro Limpot 6-6 and Dennis Espino at 6-8 (204 cms pba measurement). The PBA showcases some great Guards such as: Shell's Magsanoc, Sunkist's Victoria, and the best point guard in PBA history, Johhny Abarrientos, who stands 5-8. 1999 saw the influx of new bigger and taller filipino americans. 6-10 Asi Taulava and 6-7 Univ. of Texas Longhorn, Sonny Alvarado and Wagner College standout, Danny Seigle at 6-7, lead the way for faster and taller players for the next century of Pinoy basketball.
1996 Champions are the Alaska Milkmen, who won The All-Filipino Cup, The Commissioner's Cup, and the Governors' Cup.
1997 Champions are: All Filipino Cup Champions are the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys; The Commissioner's Cup Champions are the Gordon's Gin Boars. The Governors' Cup Champions are the Alaska Milk Milkmen, who have won the Conference four straight years.
1998 All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cup Champions are the Alaska Milkmen. 1998 Governors' Cup Champions are the Formula Shell Turbochargers. 1999 All-Filipino Champions are the Formula Shell Turbochargers. The 1999 Commisioner's and Governors' Cup Champions were the San Miguel Beermen. The 25th Anniversary season for the PBA in 2000 promises to propel the league to further hights as the cream of the MBA and the addition, of legitimate Fil-Ams have reasserted the dominance of the PBA. The showdown in August between the PBA All Stars versus the Asian All-Stars should prove once and for all that the Philippines is the "sleeping giant of asia".
Teams in the PBL are: Montana Pawnshop, Welcoat Paints, Ana Water Dispenser, Blu Detergent, Hapee-Ateneo, Shark Juice Drink.
1996 Champions for the
Conferences are: (Reinforced) Hapee Toothpaste, (All-Filipino) Agfa Color, (Danny Floro) Stag Pilsen
1997 Champions for the First Conference (Reinforced) and the All-Filipino Conference are Tanduay Gold Rhum.
The league's first offering was the 1998 Centennial Cup won by Tanduay Rhum. The Second Yakult Cup was won by Dr. J. Rubbing Alcohol. 1999 First Conference champions are Red Bull Energy Drink. Yakult Cup I and II Champions were Welcoat Paints.
The MBA is divided into two six-team divisions called North and South. The Northern Conference teams are: Pampanga Dragons, Laguna Lakers, Batangas Blades, Pasig Blue Pirates, and the Manila Metro Stars. The Southern Conference's teams are: Cebu Gems, Davao Eagles, Cagayan de Oro Nuggets, Bacolod (Negros) Slashers, Iloilo Volts, and Socsargen Marlins. Three new teams have entered the league for 1999. The San Juan Knights, Nueva Ecija Patriots and a visayan team have come to join the MBA. The league has introduced new rules to the game by having a shorter shot-clock and a 3 point free throw.
1998 Champions are the Pampanga Dragons who beat the Negros Slashers. 1999 Champions were the Manila Metrostars beating the Cebu Gems.
The UST Tigers and UE Warriors have won the most titles with 18. Far Eastern University is second with
the most titles in the UAAP with 14 championships.
The 1997 Champions are the F.E.U. Tamaraws. 1998 and 1999 Champions are the De La Salle Green Archers.
The fivepeat (1993-1997) champions and 1997 Philippine National Champions were the San Sebastian Stags.
The Letran Knights are the 1998 and 1999 Champions and have won the most NCAA titles with thirteen trophies.
THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL MEN'S TEAMS
The Philippines has won the Asian Basketball Championship for Men five times ('60,'63,'67,'73,'86). The Junior (Under-19) Philippine Men's team has won the Asian Junior Championships six times ('70-'78,'82). The Philippines' has won the Asian Games Gold four times ('51,'54,'58,'62). The best finish by a Philippine Team in the World Championships is a Bronze Medal in 1954. The Philippines has won the biennial Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal 10 times since 1977 (Philippines beat Malaysia 96-86 in the 1997 SEA Games in Jakarta).
The recent best finish by a Philippine Team in a major meet is a Silver Medal in the 1990 Asian Games and a fourth-place finish in the 1994 Asiad. The 1990 Philippine Team was represented by a PBA All-Star Selection. The 1994 Asian Games Edition was a combination of the PBA All-Filipino Champion San Miguel Beer, and by players from Purefoods, Alaska Milk, and the amateur ranks. The Philippine Junior Men's Team last medal finish was with a bronze in the 1992 Asian Junior Men's Championships. The Philippine (Under-22) National Men's Team's best finish was fourth in the 1993 (Under-22) Asian Championships.
The PBA sends a "Dream Team" during
the Asian Games. The PBL sends the Asian Championship squad. The PBA was only
allowed to send teams internationally after 1990. All Philippine squads, except
the Asian Games Team, are amateurs. The 1999 Season for the Philippine team has seen mismanagement by the ruling BAP as it has sent a disorganized team to the upcoming SEA Games and the upcoming ABCs. The PBA and the other leagues
should press for the replacement of the BAP from FIBA for the good of the country.
The ABC Champions Cup symbolizes the best Club team in the Asian Continent. The
Philippine Representative, mainly PBL teams, has won the Cup four times. The
Champions Cup began in 1981 and was held every two years until 1995. Northern
Consolidated, a PBA Guest Amateur Squad, won in 1984; Swift-PABL won in 1988;
Andok's-PBL won in 1995; and in 1996 the Cup was won by Hapee Toothpaste. 1999 saw the Pasig Pirates of the MBA finish last in the tourney.
E-mail me for the " Pinoy Basketball 1998 Asian Games Dream Team" you think should be sent to the 1998 Asian Games.
Here are the line-ups of previous PBA-National Teams to the Asian Games.
1990 ASIAN GAMES TEAM (Silver Medal-Second Place): R. Fernanadez 6-5, Z. Realubit 6-5, R. Cuenco 6-4, Y. Dignadice 6-4, V. Paras 6-4, A. Patrimonio 6-3, C. Loyzaga 6-2, D. Gonzalgo 6-2, A. Caidic 6-2, A. Lim 6-0, R. Magasanoc 5-9, H. Calma 5-8
The 1990 Asian Games team in Beijing, China was the first true national team composed of the best players the nation could offer. It handily beat teams like North Korea in the preliminary round. In the Second Round, the team had to overcome a competitive Japanese National Team. In the semis, the Philippine Team had to meet the Japanese team again, coming from behind down as much as 17 points. The final was against the Chinese resulting in a 74-90 loss. The significance of the score was that it was closer than the 60-125 Second Round defeat to the Chinese. The squad was hastily formed and should be commended for a tournament that they could have won, if it was given more time. The team was led by Z. Realubit, V. Paras, A. Patrimonio, A. Caidic and R. Magsanoc
1994 ASIAN GAMES TEAM (Fourth): M. Aquino 6-9, D. Polistico 6-7, J. Codinera 6-6, R. Evangelista 6-4, A. Teng 6-4, A. Patrimonio 6-3, K. Duremdes 6-3, A. Caidic 6-2, A. Agustin 5-11, F. Pumaren 5-9, H. Calma 5-8, J. Abarrientos 5-8
The 1994 Asian Games Team tried to solve the problem of a less cohesive squad by giving the 1994 PBA All Filipino Champions, San Miguel Beer the task to win the elusive Gold medal. San Miguel Beer formed the nucleus of the team and was augmented with amateur standouts and players loaned from Purefoods and Alaska Milk. The tournament showcased the coming of Johhny Abarrientos as the best playmaker in the country and one of the best guards in Asia. The team ,ably led by Coach Norman Black, won their first three games in the preliminaries and had to play South Korea for first in the Group. The Philippine Team led in the early minutes of the first half before succumbing to fatigue in the Second Half losing to the Koreans 78-86. The team had to play China in the cross-over semi-finals. The team had difficulties matching up with the taller Chinese and lost 74-85. The Bronze Medal Game was a nightmare for Alvin Patrimonio. The team had the chance to tie the game and send it to overtime. Down by two points Patrimonio had two free throws after a foul. He missed the first shot and Ato Agustin failed in converting a desperation three at the buzzer. The PBA vowed to prepare a cohesive and true national team for the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. The team was led by M. Aquino, J. Codinera, A. Patrimonio, A. Caidic (the leading scorer) and J. Abarrientos.
1998 ASIAN GAMES TEAM/CENTENNIAL TEAM: E. J. Feihl 7-0, A. Seigle 6-10, M. Aquino 6-9, D. Espino 6-8, Z. Limpot 6-6, V. Meneses 6-3, A. Patrimonio 6-3, K. Duremdes 6-3, A. Caidic 6-2, J. Lastimosa 6-0, O. Racela 5-11, J. Abarrientos 5-8
The team is tasked with the elusive hunt for the Gold medal that has been in the hands of the Chinese since, the 1986 Asian Games. The team has to overcome the lost image of the Philippines as Asia's best basketball playing country. With height being no problem, the team can easily match-up with the tall line-ups of Korea, Japan, China and the former Soviet Republics such as Kazakhstan. The team's weakness maybe is its outside shooting but, with the closer FIBA 3 pt. line, it might not be a problem for the likes of A. Caidic, K. Duremdes and Co.
The Philippine team's preparation saw them play their first game against the Chinese Nationals at the Araneta losing 70-78. Tim Cone's charges went on to win the 21st Jones Cup by beating Chinese Taipei in the Final 82-72. On their way to the Championship they won against Japan 90-87 (OT) and beat the Korean U-22 team 96-77.
The Centennials went on a tough US NCAA Road Trip playing tough against Arkansas and Missouri-Rolla. The team gained worldwide recognition when they figured in a bench clearing brawl against Minnesota
The Nationals opened the Asian Games with a thrilling 53-52 victory over Kazakhstan and a demolition job of Kyrgystan 91-50. The
team has been ably led to the quarterfinal round by 1998 PBA MVP K. Duremdes and the centres of the team specifically,
A. Seigle, M. Aquino, and E.J. Feihl. The frontline of the Centennials hold the key against the expected quarterfinals group
showdown versus J. Seo and the Koreans. The showdown with the Koreans proved to be a blowout in favor of the Asian Champions. With the Filipino obessesion of beating the Chinese, the Nationals overlooked the speed and outside shooting of Kang and Moon and the strength of Seo.
The Philippines lost 83-103. The Philippines had to play China in the Semis.
The Nationals were the only team to play the Chinese close in the whole
tourney. The Centennials lost to China 82-73. The PBA All Star squad
had to beat the pesky Kazakhs to win the Bronze 73-68. The Bronze medal game was rescued by seldom used co-captain, Jojo Lastimosa. Overall, it is acknowledged that the Philippines should send their very best to all Asian tourneys not just the Asian Games every four years. The country looks forward seeing players like 6-10 Taulava, 6-7 Danny Seigle and Sonny Alvarado go up against our rivals on a regular basis. GO PHILIPPINES GO!
Links to other sites on the Web
official pba homepage
the fonz's awesome pba page
the pba on cnn
official mba homepage
ngetska's great pba page and jampy's pba history
same day pba television pictures
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