More Fil-Ims in PBA Finals

Easily, the most credentialed Filipino import, or Fil-Im, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup Finals is San Miguel Beer’s Dan Seigle. There’s no Fil-Im more explosive than Dynamite Dan.

Seigle, 25, tallied over 1,600 points in four years at Wagner College, an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I school in Staten Island, and ranks fifth in all-time Seahawks scoring. He is second only to three-time PBA import Terrance Bailey, Wagner’s all-time top pointmaker, in career field goal attempts.

One of four children born to retired US Navyman John Seigle and Blesilda Yadao of Eastern Samar, Dynamite Dan had several memorable moments at Wagner.

Against Mount St. Mary’s College, he buried a triple with nine ticks left in regulation to send the game into overtime and hit 29 points as the Seahawks held on to win, 95-85. Seigle shot Wagner’s last seven points in the second half to bail the varsity out of trouble.

Against Robert Morris, he knocked in 9-of-13 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to net 28 points in sparking Wagner’s 83-62 rout.

Against Central Connecticut, Seigle fired an NCAA career-high 35 points. He was Wagner’s leading scorer in his last three years on the varsity.

As a senior at Carbondale High School in Western Pennsylvania in 1993-94, Seigle hit at a 19.8 clip. He transferred to Wagner the next season and made it to the Northeast Conference All-Newcomer squad, norming 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds an outing. Seigle’s scoring clip improved year after year—to 14.9 as a sophomore to 17.5 as a junior and finally, to 19.3 as a senior.

Seigle, who likens his style to Grant Hill’s, has faced some stiff opposition on the court in the US—like Jerry Stackhouse and Brevin Knight in summer leagues and Danny Fortson, the ex-University of Cincinnati star now playing for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in the NCAA. So he’s used to playing under pressure and against all odds.

Seigle said older brother Andy, who plays for Purefoods, is his idol. "Andy inspired me to play," he noted. "I’ve always wanted to be like him. I’m not as tall as Andy but I’m quicker."

During his PBA rookie season in 1999, I asked Seigle if he’d ever try his luck in the NBA. "I’ll see how I develop as a pro in the PBA then I’ll decide if the NBA is an option," he replied. "At the moment, my priority is San Miguel." To this day, San Miguel remains Dynamite Dan’s priority.

Another San Miguel Fil-Im is 6-6, 240-pound Dorian Pena. He played two years for Negros and Pasig in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) before jumping to the PBA this season.

Pena, 23, didn’t set out to be a hoopster. He was a football standout at Lackey High School in Indian Head, Maryland, then turned to basketball. Pena weighed "only" 185 pounds as a freshman at Coppin State, an NCAA Division I school in Baltimore, in 1995-96. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in a forgettable start with the Eagles varsity. Another rookie on the team was Rafi Reavis, now playing in the MBA. Former San Miguel import Terquin Mott was a Coppin State senior that year.

As a sophomore, Pena continued to struggle. His scoring clip fell to 0.9 as he logged less than 10 minutes a game. But there was hope. Writer Mike Gore said Pena "has always been a strong rebounder and his offense should continue to get better." His weight was up to 200 pounds. Slowly, Pena began to realize what a big body could do on the court.

In 1997-98, Pena started the first 14 games for the Eagles. But his numbers rose when he came off the bench in the last 10 contests to average 7.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. Coppin State posted a 21-8 mark that season as Pena scored 4.3 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds an outing.

"Dorian gives us everything he has," said Eagles coach Ron (Fang) Mitchell.

As a senior the next year, Pena made it to the All-Mideastern Athletic Conference second team. He averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds to close out his varsity career. Pena was later named to play on the North team under coach Earl (The Pearl) Monroe at the 4th annual Black College All-Star Game in Baltimore.

San Miguel’s third Fil-Im is Nick Belasco, a late bloomer at the College of Notre Dame, now known as the Notre Dame de Namur University, in Belmont, near San Francisco.

Belasco averaged only 1.3 points and 4.8 minutes as a freshman on the Argonauts varsity in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), a level or two lower than the NCAA Division I. But as a sophomore in 1993-94, he improved his norms to eight points, 4.5 rebounds, and 22.3 minutes. Belasco started in all of Notre Dame’s games as a junior and senior. In his junior season, he averaged 10.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 32.9 minutes. And as senior, Belasco hit at 14.5 clip and shot 50.2 percent from the field.

In four years at Notre Dame, Belasco started in 74 of 94 games, averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Belasco, 27, joined the PBA in 1997. He was traded by Pop Cola to San Miguel two years ago and has since been labeled the Beermen’s "unsung hero." He averaged 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in the All-Filipino Cup this season.

No doubt, the Fil-Ims—Seigle, Pena, Belasco and Red Bull’s Mick Pennisi and DaVonn Harp—are making an impact in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup Finals.