The Philippines at FIBA World Cup
Credit to Author: EDDIE G. ALINEA| Date: Sat, 02 Mar 2019 16:28:53 +0000
For the second consecutive year, the Philippines will be appearing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup scheduled middle of this year, in China. And for the sixth time since the Filipinos saw action in 1954, which proved to be their finest showing in the quadrennial event.
The Philippine side, in a story ran by The Manila Times earlier last week, finished third in the meet to bring home the bronze medal, which no other Asian country has, to date, done. Our own Carlos “Caloy,” the “Big Difference” Loyzaga, was in the world mythical team, the first, too, for any cager from any Asian country.
Coached by master bench tactician Herminio “Herr” Silva and skippered by wily Lauro “The Fox” Mumar, Loyzaga had for teammates Bayani Amador, Rafael Barretto, Florentino Bautista Jr., Napoleon Flores, Benjamin Francisco, Antonio Genato, Ramon Manulat, Francisco Rabat, Ponciano Saldaña and Mariano Tolentino with alternates Francis Wilson and Alfredo Sagarbarria.
Loyzaga, Manulat and Tolentino came back four years later in 1959 in Antofagasta and Valparaiso in Chile to power a team coached by Virgilio ”Baby” Dalupan to eighth place wind up, winning four games and losing twice,
Making the then “RP 5” were young Turks Emilio Achacoso, Kurt Bachmann, Carlos Badion, Guillermo Baz, Loreto Carbonell, Geronimo Cruz, Eduardo Lim, Alfonso Marquez, Edgardo Ocampo, Constancio Ortiz Jr. and Roberto Yburan.
Caloy was also in the 1974 squad that played in San Juan, Puerto Rico but not anymore as a player but as assistant mentor to Valentin “Tito” Eduque. The team, which swept the Asian Basketball Confederation (now FIBA Asia) a year earlier in Manila, only won two of its assignments en route to 13th place ending.
Captained by Jaime Mariano, Eduque’s selection was composed of completely new faces in William “Bogs” Adornado, Francis Arnaiz, Ricardo Cleofas, Ramon Fernandez, Alberto Guidaben, Robert Jaworski, Rosalio Martirez, Rogelio Melencio, Manuel Paner, David Regullano and Alberto Reynoso plus alternates Lawrence Mumar and Gregorio Dionisio.
For the first time in the history of the FIBA World Cup the formerly called World Championship was held in the Far East in 1978 (Manila) where it was originally destined 16 years previous.
The Philippines hosted the 1978 FIBA World Championship, three years following the birth of the Philippine Basketball Association, the world’s only second pro-league outside of the US’s NBA losing all its games via blowouts to finish last in the eight-team final round.
The exodus of the country’s top players to the PBA greatly weakened the amateur ranks, The then ruling body for the sport, the Basketball Association of the Philippines was left with a limited pool of talents from which to choose from its representatives to global meets.
In the long run, the BAP came up with a roster made up of Ramon Cruz, Steve Watson, Federico Lauchengco, Alex Clarino, Leopoldo Herrera, Bernardo Carpio, Nathaniel Castillo, Cesar Yabut, Eduardo Merced, and Rolando Pineda.
The Philippines failed to make it to the World tourney in 1982 in Colombia, but could have returned in 1986 in Spain after winning the 13th ABC but withdrew from participation due to EDSA People Power.
Handled by American Ron Jacobs, that team was composed of he Northern Cement squad of Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Tonichi Yturri, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Franz Pumaren, Pido Jarencio, Jerry Codiñera, Dennis Steele and Jeff Moore.
The Philippines again missed qualifying in the subsequent staging of the meet in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010, but made it in 2014 by virtue of the silver medal won by their 2013 hosting of the FIBA Asian Championship.
That was the first time in 40 years since the Philippine national squad made an appearance and won a game in the World Cup.
Coached by Chot Reyes, the team was composed of Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Jeff Chan, Jayson Castro, Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo, Gabe Norwood, naturalized player Andray Blatche, June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee, Japeth Aguilar and Marc Pingris.
Then came coach Yeng Guiao and his team that survived a prolonged, complicated Asia qualifiers to this years edition the World Cup in China.
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