Hizon, MegaVoltz: Castaways - THE GAME OF MY LIFE by Bill Velasco

Vince Hizon is a castaway. The Iloilo MegaVoltz guard is a player without a team, and he and a handful of his teammates are drifters lost on a sea of uncertainty, holding valid contracts but having no place to play.

Then former Ateneo Blue Eagle joined Iloilo in 1999 with the hope of taking the Visayas division champions to MBA championship. In his first game, Hizon, adjusting to the fast-paced MBA style, helped Iloilo hold the fan-favorite Negros Slashers to overtime before succumbing. Things were looking good.

The MegaVoltz represented the country in the 1999 William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. From the moment they arrived, they were like lambs to be slaughtered.

"This was the time we were having problems with the air agreements between the Philippines and Taiwan," Hizon recalls. "From Day 1, it smelled like a set-up. No tickets were sold to Filipinos, and they wanted to beat us so badly. The Centennial team beat them the year before. There were more Filipinos than Taiwanese in the crowd. They couldn’t accept that."

A melee broke out, and the crowd stormed the court, with debris of every description raining down on the floor. The fracas resulted in injury to some of the MegaVoltz. Dominique Uy had eight stitches in his forearm, Francis Aquino had a dent in his head. Joey Mente had been punched by players twice his size. Hizon had been ganged up on, even by tournament officials.

"To this day, nobody ever came to our aid or protested," Hizon reveals, shaking his head. "Not the Philippine ambassador, the GAB, the BAP, the Senate, nobody investigated or issued a diplomatic protest. And it was an international incident seen on CNN and ESPN. What’s worse is that even our local press attacked us."

Upon their return, Hizon fell flat on his back after an airborne collision with 6’7" Alex Crisano, who played with Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan. Vince had four fractures in his shoulder, and needed surgery in the US.
Since having surgery on his shoulder at the end of 1999, Hizon has not really seen much action in the MBA, and it was not by his choice. According to him, he arrived in March of 2000 raring to play, but for an unstated reason, was not allowed to suit up for Iloilo, which badly needed his services. Eventually, he was able to play. But that was not the end of his troubles.

After the MegaVoltz were eliminated last October, they were supposed to have been merged with the Negros Slashers to provide a powerhouse squad to range against Cebu in the Visayas and Davao and Socsargen in Mindanao. However, an ownership dispute erupted around the team, preventing Negros from consummating the merger. The Slashers told the MegaVoltz to solve their internal squabbles or forget the merger. The Southern Conference champions have been practising since February 5 without Hizon or any of the Voltz.

"I’m sick of running around the field at Manila Polo Club," Hizon declares. "That’s all I can do. I haven’t been able to play since October because my contract prohibits me from playing with anyone except my team. But who is my team? I can’t even play pick-up ball or join the scrimmages of Ateneo."

Unfortunately for Hizon (whom surveys have said is the most popular sports figure in the country), Joey Sta. Maria, Aquino, Lou Gatumbato (the remaining Iloilo players with live conracts), and coach Danny Gavieres, they have nowhere to go. Negros has one slot left, and offered a new — albeit reduced — contract for Hizon, giving him until the end of the month to decide.

"I would love to have Vince with us, but it’s not my call," says Negros coach Robert Sison. "I’ve kept a spot open for him because I need a shooter. It’s hard enough to practice without Tisoy (Ferriols) and Ruben (dela Rosa)."

The former PBA All-Star, his teammates and coach, meanwhile, have sent a letter to MBA Commissioner Ogie Narvasa, asking him to arbitrate their case. They want to know who is responsible for their back wages, possible buy-outs, or absorbing their contracts.

The Slashers, for their part, have a very strong line-up, with the majority of the core players from 1998 still with the team. With the latest developments, there are now eight teams: Laguna, San Juan, Batangas-Manila and Nueva Ecija in the north, and Cebu, Negros, Davao and Socsargen (which has put up its own team) in the south. Among them, Negros has been together the longest.

The Slashers, however, are still looking for a legitimate center, the one element missing in their quest for their first MBA crown. Against a San Juan Knights frontline of 6’9" Bonel Balingit, 6’8" Rafi Reavis and 6’6" Omanzie Rodriguez, Negros only fell two games short in the Finals. They’re eyeing Laguna’ s Jeff Flowers, and just may get him. The Lakes have three Fil-Ams: forward Chris Clay and centers Dorian Peña and Flowers. The league only allows a maximum of two per team. Clay has been indispensable for Laguna. Peña played with Negros in 1999, and may have burned his bridges there. So Flowers looks like the most likely candidate, despite the objections of coach Boni Garcia. If Negros gets Flowers, that may slam the door shut on Hizon.

Then he’ll really be a castaway.