Bachmann on a roll

A few weeks ago, Kurt Bachmann, Jr. was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame at the Manila Peninsula ballroom in Makati. He called it "the crowning glory of my life … a testimonial to my athletic abilities, dedication, discipline, hard work, and love of the game."

Bachmann, who turned 66 last Thursday, played on the Philippine team that captured the gold at the Asian Games in 1958 and 1962. He led La Salle to the NCAA juniors title in 1955 and the seniors crown the next year. He saw action at the Rome Olympics in 1960. And he anchored the national squad that took the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) plum in 1960.

Fans will never forget Bachmann’s buzzer beater that lifted Yco to its seventh straight national title in 1960. It was a game between archrivals Yco and Ysmael Steel. "We were down by 22 points with eight minutes to go," recalled Bachmann. (Coach) Leo (Prieto) called a time-out and very calmly looked at each of us and said, ‘I thought I had the best in Philippine basketball playing for me – what I see is a bunch of prima donnas on the court.’"

Prieto’s remarks woke up the Painters who went back on the court with fire in their eyes. They trimmed the Steelers’ lead to a single point with five seconds left on the clock and had possession. Caloy Loyzaga passed the ball to Bachmann in the deep corner. Bachmann threw up a jumper. The buzzer sounded as the ball floated in midair. Everyone held his breath. Then, pandemonium. The ball found its mark.

"As you know there is no letter ‘i’ in the word team," continued Bachmann. "Had not Boy Marquez, Boni (Carbonell) fed me, Caloy screened for me, there would be no Bachmann. We made each other. We had our own strengths and weaknesses and each one of us covered for the other to come up with unity and results."

Bachmann said basketball opened doors for him when he retired from the game. "I was aggressive," he went on. "I was intense. I was passionate. Above all, I was a fighter on the hardcourt. All of these traits helped me immensely when I retired from basketball and entered into the business world."

Bachmann, an only child, said he owes everything to his parents – the late Kurt, Sr. and Alice Streegan from Jaro, Iloilo. "Despite my foreign-sounding name, I am a heart-and-soul Filipino," Bachmann, who is of German descent, stressed. "My motto then as it is today is ‘Bayan muna – bago ang lahat.’ Sad to say, this is not happening today. How I wish that Filipino athletes would continue to share this noble idea. Only then would athletes find themselves fulfilled in their endeavors."

Today, Bachmann is chairman of Relzbach Ventures which acquired the exclusive rights to market And 1 products here two years ago. His son Bobby manages the operations on a full-time basis. Another son Dickie played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and is now an Alaska assistant coach.

Bachmann is proud of his sons. "Bobby is extremely disciplined and is always looking for a challenge," he said. "When he decided to lose weight, he lost about 50 pounds. He wakes up early everyday and plays squash at 6 in the morning. He used to be a swimming medallist in school then he got tired of it and moved on. Dickie is a terrific golfer but decided to concentrate on basketball."

Bachmann is also proud of his seven grandchildren. On the day he was enshrined as a Hall of Famer, Bachmann said Dickie’s wife delivered her first son after three girls.

The other day, Bachmann was back at the Peninsula, this time to provide moral support for Bobby in presenting And 1’s latest products. Also at the affair were And 1 local endorsers Vince Hizon, Mike Cortez, Richie Alvarez, Rodney Santos, and Jojo Lastimosa. And 1 vice president for international business Mark Mackay flew in from Pennsylvania to attend the session.

Mackay, a Scot who has lived in the US the last nine years, conferred to Relzbach a second straight MVD (Most Valuable Distributor) award. Relzbach’s performance has been so outstanding that it has been awarded rights to Guam and Saipan. Mackay said Relzbach’s territory also includes Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Like Bachmann, And 1 is on a roll. From its inception in 1993, And 1 has boosted revenues from $1 Million to an estimated $300 Million this year. And 1 is now the second largest basketball apparel and footwear brand in the US, next only to Nike. It has grown from nine distributors in 22 countries two years ago to 23 distributors in over 100 countries.

On the homefront, And 1’s sales are zooming. At the start, the post-game footwear accounted for most of sales. But Relzbach has turned things around as the performance shoes are now showing the way even as the post-game footwear remains a solid seller. And 1’s only concept store here is at the Podium in Mandaluyong. It will open similar outlets at the Glorietta and Festival Supermall before the year ends.

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), And 1 outfits Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, Shawn Marion, Larry Hughes, Ben Wallace, Darrell Armstrong, Samaki Walker, and a host of others. International teams endorsing And 1 include the national squads of Lebanon, New Zealand, Panama and Turkey, Estudiantes of Spain, Ural Great of Russia, Benetton of Italy, and the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian league.

Mackay attributed And 1’s success to focus and its core essence – performance, innovation, and fearlessness. Because And 1 is devoted exclusively to basketball, it is zeroed in on the burgeoning hoop market. And 1 pioneered in producing sleeveless tees, game mesh shorts, post-game slip-ons, drooping inseams and those wild playground videos showcasing teenaged kids in action highlights. Mackay said And 1 is a way of life and that’s why it’s a perfect fit for the Filipino hoops fan whose passion for the game is unparalleled.

According to Mackay, And 1’s office headquarters in Pennsylvania are positioned in a way that the center walkway leads straight into a basketball court where the likes of Magic Johnson, Sprewell, and Garnett often drop by to hang out.

Although Scotland isn’t known as a basketball haven, Mackay pointed out that in this year’s NBA draft, his countryman Robert Archibald was tapped by Memphis on the second round. "In the UK, it’s soccer over every other sport," he said. "In the Philippines, it’s basketball over every other sport."

It’s no wonder that And 1 has found a huge niche in the local market.