Rousing start for STAR Friendship League

It took seven Saturday mornings to complete the schedule for the first Philippine STAR Friendship League – from the single round eliminations to the crossover semifinals and the finals – at the Meralco gym.

And when the curtains came to a climactic close, players from the six participating teams were one in congratulating STAR president Miguel Belmonte for conceptualizing the basketball tournament aimed at generating camaraderie and rapport among the paper’s advertisers and business partners.

The inaugural staging of what may evolve into an annual affair was such a success that at least four companies have expressed interest to join the next competition. Belmonte said he plans to expand the league to eight or 10 teams and transform it into another Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA).

For sure, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) and ABS-CBN will be back. RCBC beat ABS-CBN, 89-78, in the finals. Both were surprise finalists as the fancied San Miguel Corp. and host STAR were the favorites to slug it out for the crown. But in the semis, RCBC upset San Miguel, 87-85, and ABS-CBN shocked The STAR, 83-72, to arrange the title showdown.

Other entries were RFM Corp. and United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB).

The competition was fierce yet friendly from Day 1. While players battled on the floor, their families watched in the stands. In their children’s eyes, the fathers in uniform were like Michael Jordans. Corporate executives came to inspire their players. It was a picnic atmosphere in the gallery. On the court, it was all business.

As hosts, Belmonte and brother Kevin, president of philstar.com, watched all 19 games. They welcomed the players on opening day and thanked them for their participation on closing day. The Belmontes are sports enthusiasts – they enjoy the competition as spectators and players. Without them, the Friendship League would never have gotten off the ground.

There were several stars who shone in the tournament. The brightest was RCBC’s 5-6 Jaime Oliva, a motorized messenger in the corporate banking sector. Oliva, 25, has tried out for spots in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) and Philippine Basketball League (PBL) but never made the grade because of his lack of ceiling. Apparently, scouts overlooked his big heart. Oliva averaged 25.7 points in seven games and was at his most explosive in the stretch run. He banged in 42 points against San Miguel in the semis and 43 against ABS-CBN in the finals.

Oliva was named tournament MVP, got a trophy, and received a P5,000 gift certificate from Kamayan Restaurant.

In all, RCBC posted a 5-2 record. The bankers lost to The STAR and ABS-CBN in the eliminations but regrouped when it mattered most. Playing coach Alvin Antonio, an assistant vice president in the treasury department, said only four players remained from the RCBC squad that won the 1997 Bankers Athletic Association title under coach Louie Alas. The holdovers were former Letran juniors player Danny Pamilar, Michael Dimaano, Kenneth Libutan and Antonio himself.

Antonio inherited the coaching job after the bank decided to tap employees instead of hiring outside talent.

RCBC’s roster listed four corporate officers – Antonio, Bong Peña, Reggie Leano, and Libutan.

Antonio said the Belmontes invited RCBC to participate in the Friendship League through Alfonso Yuchengco III who then tapped Vice President Jerome Sarte of Human Resources Development to coordinate the effort. Sarte, in turn, designated Antonio to assemble the squad.

"We hardly practiced for the tournament," related Antonio, a La Salle graduate. "Before our first game, we practiced twice. Once, during the tournament, we got together for a practice after work but we were so tired from office that we decided not to practice anymore. We were lucky that our players had played together before – everyone knew our system. We played just for fun. We never expected to be in the finals."

The road to the top wasn’t smooth sailing for the bankers. In the elims, The STAR upended RCBC, 89-73, and ABS-CBN scored a 96-93 double overtime win over the bankers. But what propelled RCBC to the throne was its twin wins over San Miguel–first in the elims, 88-61, then in the semis, 87-85.

ABS-CBN, the two-time BIBATO champion, was in the thick of the fight in the finals until the last quarter when STAR Zoilo Gonzales had to leave for work and San Pedro fouled out right after burying a triple. Despite the loss, coach Alex Claudio and team manager Danny Buenafe were proud of their boys’ effort. No doubt, ABS-CBN will be back next year with a vengeance.

The STAR finished third, beating San Miguel, 117-92, in the consolation playoff. The STAR was the only team to score at least 100 points in a game and was also the only team not beaten by RCBC. The STAR and RCBC wound up with identical 5-2 records.

Coach Noli Hernandez, who works in The STAR’s purchasing department, said the boys ran out of steam in the crucial losses to San Miguel and ABS-CBN. Like Claudio and Buenafe, he, too, was proud of the team.

Leading The STAR’s charge were 6-4 Jon de Guzman and Alfred Bartolome – who played for the University of the East varsity with Allan Caidic and George Ella. Other ex-varsity players in The STAR roster were Ting Hojilla of UE and Mike Manese of Adamson. The STAR also counted on Philippine Maritime Institute veterans Rene Recto, three-point specialist (and photographer) Joey Viduya, Noel Cabales, Arnel Ferrer, and de Guzman. Columnist Bill Velasco played for The STAR, too.

San Miguel’s lineup was star-studded. Team manager Jun Cabalan and playing coach Ira Maniquis drafted the likes of Samboy Lim, Caidic, Hector Calma, Art de la Cruz, Siot Tanquingcen, and Ella. Others in the cast were former Letran center Miniong Perete, Manny Liwag, Alexis Santiago, Asbel Mercurio, Jules Laurente, Monji Lapez and Jessie Macias. The problem was San Miguel could never play with a complete lineup because of work commitments.

When RCBC beat San Miguel, 88-61, in the elims, Maniquis fired 27 points but couldn’t compensate for the absence of Caidic, Lim, Calma, de la Cruz, and Tanquingcen. Caidic also didn’t play in the semis and finals.

Lim and Caidic provided some exciting moments in the tournament, reviving their storied combination that wrought havoc on the US team at the 1985 Jones Cup finals in Taipei. Lim tallied a tournament-high 48 points against The STAR in the battle for third and had games of 33, 31, 24 and 22. Caidic sizzled for games of 34, 27 and 15.

Former pro Biboy Ravanes called the shots for RFM whose ace hitmen were Candido Cadacio and Dennis Tiu while ex-La Salle Green Archer Gabby Velasco coached UCPB whose players included top scorer Joel Javier, La Salle juniors player Juancho Liwag and Eric Altamirano’s brother Ronald.

It was clear that as players from all teams embraced each other and slapped high-fives at the end of the tournament, there were only winners and no losers in the first STAR Friendship League.