The Post Crispa Era: These Players became even bigger Stars

            

The famous Crispa logo

       For the first decade of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Crispa Redmanizers ruled the roost, garnering 13 out of the 29 titles at stake. This, apart from collaring practically half of the Filipino basketball fan base because of their success and the popularity of their players.

            Yet, despite the instant rise to fame just by wearing the Crispa colors, there were still players who became even larger than life personalities after the franchise disbanded at the end of the 1984 season. We enumerate seven names who made the list:

           

Abet Guidaben (2x PBA champion, 1x MVP - 1987, 3x Mythical First Team - 1985, 1987, 1988)

            If there’s one player who would make it to the top of the list among latebloomers, Abet Guidaben would definitely be a primary candidate. A league pioneer, Guidaben lived under the shadows of his more illustrious teammates, Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co, Philip Cezar and Freddie Hubalde. Despite being regarded as the second-best center in the league from 1975 to 1982, his breakout performance only happened in the 1983 season when he won MVP honors during Crispa’s grandslam run.

            Noteworthy though that when Guidaben finally won his first MVP, he actually won a second, similar award in 1987 as the lead man for the then young San Miguel Beermen. He was also cited as the league’s best center, being part of the Mythical First Team, in 1985 with Tanduay before being traded to Manila Beer for Mon Fernandez and in 1988 with SMB before being traded to Purefoods for Fernandez again. Guidaben was actually on track to win his third MVP award in 1988 but got derailed due to the trade as Purefoods languished in the cellar in the 3^rd conference. That trade also didn’t work well for the Camiguin native although he did have his third most prolific season with Pepsi in 1990 wih 20.4 ppg. Unfortunately, the teams he played for didn’t figure in the championships, his career finally ending with Shell at the end of the 1995 season.

Guidaben, donning the #5 Crispa jersey and the #32 SMB jersey

Yoyoy Villamin (4x PBA champion, 1x Mythical First Team – 1987, 3x Mythical Second Team – 1988, 1990, 1991, 7x PBA All-Defensive Team – 1985 to 1990 and 1995, 1x Most Improved Player – 1987, 1x Comeback Player of the Year – 1995)

            The second most distinguished and accomplished Redmanizer in the post-Crispa era, Yoyoy Villamin blossomed when he didn’t have to share minutes with the other Crispa big men. Yoyoy became so good that in 1987, he was classified by then Commissioner Rudy Salud as part of the Protected 4 list – along with Fernandez, Cezar, Guidaben – where these 4 were not allowed to play together in one team. Villamin was already the best slotman in the MICAA for the APCOR Financiers prior to turning pro in 1981, and proved this when Crispa disbanded.

            Villamin joined Manila Beer in 1985 and played alongside Fernandez and later, Guidaben, in the interior for the Brewmasters, helping the Lucio Tan franchise to a runner-up finish in the 1986 Open. Upon joining Hills Bros in 1987, the Bicolano Superman became an MVP contender, as well as winning the Most Improved Player Award, placing runner-up behind Guidaben in the race. He and Ricky Relosa made up the formidable Bruise Brothers duo of the Coffee Kings, putting up an imposing frontline feared by most teams. A many-time member of the All-Defensive Team, Villamin remained one of the best big men in the PBA when he joined Diet Sarsi in 1991, despite being slowed down by an assortment of injuries. In 1995, he won the Comeback Player of the Year award in recognition for his fine performance at 37 years old for Sunkist after coming back from injury. He went on to suit up for Pepsi and ended his career with San Miguel in 1998.

Yoyoy Villamin, donning the #12 Crispa jersey and the #13 Alaska jersey

Rudy Distrito (5x PBA champion, 1x Mythical Second Team – 1990)

            Not many will remember Distrito being part of the star-studded Crispa team in 1981 and 1982. He was one of the most prolific amateur studs in the MICAA, playing for the Redmanizers’ farm team and was part of the victorious 1978 UAAP titlists, the UE Red Warriors. Distrito though couldn’t get his bearings as he was normally fielded as the 11^th man off the bench, playing behind guards Co, Fabiosa, Cristobal, Cruz, plus imports Al Green and Glenn Hagan. He moved to the Sanyu Group franchise in 1983 and finally proved his worth, being one of the leading scorers for the cellar-dwelling team. He merited attention from Gold Eagle Beer who took him in the latter part of the 1984 season. But when SMC took a leave of absence at the start of the 1986 season, he was part of a group of Beermen who joined expansion team, Alaska.

            It was with Ginebra though that he became a venerable household name. Playing for 5 seasons under Jaworski, Distrito was one the Gins’ primary offensive options, with his patented “hop, skip and jump” that allowed the Destroyer to be free from his defenders. In 1991, Distrito became the hero in Game 7 of the Finals between Ginebra and Shell when he dropped a difficult, body-contoured, shot over the outstretched arms of Benjie Paras to give the Gins the lead and the championship for good, 104-102, with 1 second left. He finally landed a lucrative deal with Swift via the offer sheet, forcing the Gins to trade him for Pido Jarencio. He played for the Mighty Meaty Hotdogs for 3 seasons, winning three championships, before his license was revoked by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB).

Distrito warming the bench at Crispa and at full speed with Ginebra

Romy Mamaril (3x PBA champion)

            The 6’6 beanpole from the Mapua Cardinals joined Crispa with high expectations in the 1980 season for being the tallest player in the league. His exposure with the national team, as well as a solid performance with the Imperial Textile Mills (ITM) in the MICAA, served as his ticket to prominence. He was a Redmanizer from 1980-83 but languished at the bench most of the time. When Coach Tommy Manotoc rehired Jimmy Javier and plucked Willie Pearson from the amateur ranks, the team had no roster space for him, forcing the big man to sign up with Gilbey’s Gin in the 1984 season.

            True enough, Mamaril finally got to show his wares with the floor burn given to him by Coaches Turing Valenzona and Jaworski. Still the tallest player in the league, “Mama” also became one of its top swatters, compensating his lack of bulk with his length and impeccable timing. He was already valuable that Tanduay was able to get his services in the 1987 season to serve as backup to Fernandez. But when the Elizalde franchise disbanded, Mamaril went back to Ginebra / Añejo and was one of several heroes in the franchise’s first All Filipino title conquest against Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, the team that didn’t take him when Tanduay disbanded. He continued to serve as starting center for the franchise until Shell acquired his services for the 1991 season, his last year in the PBA. While Mamaril didn’t win any individual awards in his 12 years, the big man will always be remembered fondly by the franchise’s faithful for manning the middle and being the hero in the sudden-death KO game between Añejo Rhum 65 and San Miguel, sinking the go-ahead, buzzer-beating lay-in from a Joey Loyzaga feed to catapult the 65ers to the Finals against Purefoods.

The tallest man in the PBA for several years with Crispa and Añejo

Bogs Adornado (3x PBA champion, 1x MVP – 1980, 4x Mythical First Team – 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1x Mythical Second Team – 1984)

            “Why was Bogs traded to U/Tex?” For several seasons, that was the gnawing question by PBA fans, considering that Adornado was the league’s best player in 1975 and part of 1976 prior to a knee injury. He was already playing again by late 1978 and there were occasions when he would even topscore for the Redmanizers, including becoming the hero in Game 5 of the 1979 All Filipino Finals championship against the Toyota Tamaraws where he played point guard for the first time in his career and scored 20 points, mostly against Francis Arnaiz, his primary defender, in a monumental matchup edge.

            As such, when Adornado was taken by the U/Tex Wranglers in the 1980 season, fans wondered if Crispa made a serious mistake or if Bogs was totally washed up already. In his very first conference with U/Tex, the sweet-shooting forward from UST averaged 17.67 ppg, almost tripling his 5.67 ppg average in his last 9 games with Crispa. Suddenly, Adornado was back at his lethal form with his self-confidence back and the amount of playing time given him by Coach Tommy Manotoc. He regained the league’s scoring title, won a championship with U/Tex in the 1980 Open Conference, and won MVP honors in 1981 in a scintillating comeback. It is for this reason why the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award is named after Adornado. He scored 64, 54, and 50 points as U/Tex’s top gun from 1980-82. He played with the Wranglers until it disbanded in 1982, and was taken in by Great Taste to reunite with then consultant and later, head coach Baby Dalupan, winning two titles for the Coffeemakers in the 1984 season. When Crispa disbanded and Shell acquired its franchise rights, Adornado moved to the Bugbusters to team up with ex-Crispa teammates Philip Cezar, Jimmy Javier and Bernie Fabiosa, giving the new team a runner-up finish behind Great Taste in the All Filipino conference. Bogs would later end his career with Alaska, where he also became a head coach in 1988 and his #33 jersey retired by the team.

Bogs Adornado against Estoy Estrada and ex-teammate Abet Guidaben

Padim Israel (4x PBA champion, 1x Mythical Second Team – 1986, 1x PBA All-Defensive Team – 1986)

            Padim Israel was already quite popular when he was still in college, playing alongside the likes of Steve Watson, Joy Carpio, Fritz Gaston and Louie Rabat for the champion Ateneo Blue Eagles team in the 1975 and 1976 NCAA seasons. The 6’3 forward was considered one of the more cerebral players of his time, his basketball IQ more than making up for his lack of athleticism. He played for Crispa in the MICAA before joining APCOR in 1980, winning practically all amateur league titles at stake. When Crispa got him along with 3 other APCOR teammates – Villamin, Bay Cristobal and Mon Cruz – many fans wondered if Israel would be able to prove his worth in a deep roster as Crispa’s. He struggled initially, but got more playing time when Coach Tommy Manotoc took over in 1983, allowing him to display what eventually became his virtual calling card – individual defense.

            He joined Tanduay in 1985 under Coach Orly Castelo and became part of the team’s regular rotation alongside Crispa teammates Guidaben and Freddie Hubalde, transferees Willie Generalao and Vic Sanchez, Tony Torrente and mainstays Abet Gutierrez and JV Yango. But it was in 1986 when Israel shone brightly, as he was tasked upon by Turing Valenzona (who replaced Castelo midway in the 1985 season) to guard against the opposing teams’ imports. He succeeded, earning for himself a slot at the All-Defensive Team as well as being a member of the Mythical Second Team. He remained an important piece in Tanduay’s championship quests and was selected by Purefoods to be part of its debuting team in 1988. He then joined a veteran-laden Presto team in 1989 and proved to all that a cunning defensive player of his caliber will always have a space in the big league.

Padim Israel, donning jersey #9 for Crispa and #17 for Tanduay

Joy Carpio (6x PBA champion, 1x Mythical Second Team – 1987)

            Another vital cog of the champion Ateneo Blue Eagles in the 1975 and 1976 NCAA tournaments, Carpio was named NCAA MVP in 1977 after placing runner-up to rival, San Beda Red Lions. He suited up for Crispa 400’s in the MICAA until he was elevated into the pros by the mother team as a backup slotman for Abet Guidaben. At that time, the Redmanizers were continuously on the lookout for a top-tiered big man as arch rival Toyota’s Ramon Fernandez was slowly becoming dominant as the league’s best player. Due to lack of playing time, Carpio couldn’t put up the same dazzling numbers he posted as an amateur.

            Everything changed when he shifted allegiance to Great Taste Coffee starting the 1983 season. Despite the deep roster of the Coffeemakers that had the likes of Adornado, Ricky Brown, Manny Victorino, Joel Banal and Jimmy Manansala, Carpio was able to hold his own and became known as a monster off the offensive boards. The original “Scavenger” as aptly coined by the late Pinggoy Pengson, Carpio would do the dirty job inside, figuring in various physical scuffles, just to get the offensive board, the putback, plus an and one. Carpio’s free throw accuracy also helped as he was often fouled every game because of his physicality inside. His most glorious moment was in 1987 when he became part of the Mythical Second Team, a much-deserved recognition for all the hard work he put into the game. It was unfortunate though that Carpio had to retire at an early age of 34, playing his last two years for Pepsi, due to a brittle knee. But there’s no denying Carpio’s contribution to Great Taste’s 6 titles starting 1984 until 1990 – essaying to all that there’s life indeed after being a Redmanizer.

Joy Carpio riding the bench at Crispa but a vital cog for Great Taste