Female agent bats for Fil-Am

You can count with the fingers of one hand how many female agents have come and gone in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Malou Aquino used to represent Estong Ballesteros and Jay Mendoza. Raquel Balagtas takes care of John Arigo. Angeli Valenciano manages Jojo Lastimosa.

And now comes Tinnie Bartolome Lagman, a University of Sto. Tomas architecture graduate and mother of three.

Tinnie’s only client is Miguel (Migs) Noble, Jr., whose father Sonny is her husband Dave’s first cousin. That’s the connection. Dave would’ve been Noble’s agent but he’s tied to work commitments in the US so his wife has taken on the job – more than willingly.

Noble, 24, never expected a female to be his agent. And it all happened by accident. About a month ago, he talked to Dave and Tinnie about his future in basketball over dinner and they all agreed the first step was to contract an agent. Tinnie got the nod.

"She drives me hard," says Noble of his agent.

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Noble’s dream is to play in the PBA. He’s definitely applying for the draft. Tinnie knows a rookie’s maximum salary is P200,000 a month so she’ll go for the limit and bargain for an increase the next year. She’s thinking of a two-year contract.

But is Noble sure of being picked? "I’m confident I’ll go top five," he says. Tinnie calls Noble a blue-chipper, a "can’t-miss" proposition. That, of course, remains to be seen. If Noble’s as good as Tinnie claims, he’s got to prove himself in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) where he’s playing for Ateneo-Pioneer under coach Ricky Dandan.

The 6-4, 215-pound Noble was born in Dumaguete City and left for the US with his parents and older sister Michelle, now 27, when he was seven in 1984. His father played for the La Salle senior varsity in the 1960s and now works as a male nurse at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. His mother Milagros is a nurse at Seaview Hospital in Staten Island.

Noble polished his skills as a four-year starter at New York’s Moore Catholic High where he averaged 21 points and seven rebounds. Then, he played four years at Utica College, an NCAA Division III school in upstate New York. He graduated at Utica with a B.S. degree in occupational therapy last June.

At Utica, Noble started for the varsity, averaging 12 points, three rebounds, and 25 to 30 minutes. He shot 38 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the line as a senior this past season. Noble says he learned how to play Chicago Bulls-style defense from Utica coach Andrew Gootemot. "Coach taught me how to play physical, how to switch, how to play man-to-man – things I can take to the PBA," adds Noble.

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But offense is his strong suit. "I play like Glen Rice – I’m a shooter," he says. "I play three or four. I’m more comfortable facing the basket but at Utica, I was taught to post up against shorter defenders. So I can play low, too. I’m prepared to play physical in the PBA. My dad told me when he played in the commercial leagues, it was rough and dirty – I’m ready for anything. I’ve played in a lot of Fil-Am leagues in the East Coast with guys like Rommel Santos and Alex Crisano so the Filipino style of play isn’t new to me."

Noble says he has no preference as to which PBA team to play for. "I’m more of a transition player who likes to create in the open court so if I had a choice, I’d like to join a team that plays up-and-down," he notes.

In 1999, Noble suited up for Hapee Toothpaste in the PBL Vis-Min Cup and averaged about 15 points. After the two-week tour, Noble went back to the US to continue his studies at Utica. Then, a few months ago, with diploma in hand, Noble returned here to play for Wang’s Ball Club in the PBL Open Invitationals.

Noble turned down three job offers as a therapist in the US for the chance to play hoops in the PBA. With a female agent by his side, Noble says he’s looking forward to a long career in the pros – at least five years then he’ll take it from there.