Tribute to The Spark

The night clearly belonged to Barangay Ginebra veteran Mark Caguioa. Playing in his 703rd PBA game, Caguiao scored a season-high 16 points to join an elite cast of players with at least 10,000 career points in lifting Ginebra to a 106-92 win over NLEX in the Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Friday.

Caguioa, who turns 39 on Nov. 19, scattered nine of his 16 points in the third quarter where Ginebra badly outscored the Road Warriors, 40-24, to break the game open. At halftime, Ginebra held a precarious lead, 42-41 so the Barangay fell short of two points in the third quarter of matching its output in the first two periods. Caguioa was two points shy of reaching 10,000 when coach Tim Cone brought him back in to notch the milestone with 3:41 left in the fourth stanza. The Spark missed four attempts from the field before finally nailing a jumper on a Scottie Thompson assist, time down to 1:13. 

In a fitting salute, Cone recalled Caguioa back to the bench with 10 seconds to go so the crowd could give him a standing ovation. Caguioa didn’t only become the 15th local and 16th overall (including import Norman Black) to join the elite group but also took Best Player honors for the game. For Caguioa, winning the contest was just as important or maybe even more important than the individual honor. It’s always been about the team for The Spark who is now looking for his eighth PBA championship.

Before Caguioa’s feat, the last PBA player to join the club was James Yap who did it with Rain Or Shine on July 29 last year. The first to blaze the trail was Atoy Co in 1984. Then came, in order, Ramon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Francis Arnaiz, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Black, Robert Jaworski, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa, Nelson Asaytono, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codinera, Yap and Caguioa. 

It’s been an amazing basketball journey for Caguioa. His father and first teacher Ric knew that at an early age, he would become a star. At seven, Caguioa made it a habit to drain a tiny rubber ball into a toy ring that was 10 inches in diameter. At eight, he scored 47 of his team’s 56 points in a barangay kids league. Ric was a street hoops legend in Mandaluyong, specifically in Barangay Vergara where he played with cousin Recah Trinidad, a dear friend and sports columnist. When Caguioa was 10, he was brought by his father to the US where the family migrated to. 

Caguioa sharpened his skills at Eagle Rock High School in northeast Los Angeles where he was a two-time MVP and set a record of 1,154 points in two years. Then, he went to Glendale Community College before joining the PBA draft in 2001. Caguioa was Ginebra’s first round pick, third overall behind Willie Miller and Mike Hrabak. Only two players of 48 drafted in 2001 are still active today, Caguioa and Magnolia’s P. J. Simon who was a fifth round pick. Others who were chosen in that year’s draft included coaches Topex Robinson and Mon Jose, politician Francis Zamora, the late Joey Mente, Ricky Calimag whose son RC is now a national youth standout and TV broadcaster Dominic Uy. 

From sporting a bleached-blond look early in his PBA career to the skinhead he now wears, Caguioa has come a long, long way. In over a decade of swashbuckling, Caguioa and backcourt partner JayJay Helterbrand were known as the Fast and the Furious as they personified Ginebra’s Never Say Die spirit. When Helterbrand retired at the end of last season, he said he would wait for Caguioa to hang up his sneakers before agreeing to a farewell ceremony. Helterbrand, however, may wait a few more years until it happens.

Caguioa was the PBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2001 and MVP in 2012. A three-time PBA scoring champion, he sat out the entire 2008-09 season because of knee issues but returned with a vengeance to win the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2012.

While Caguioa was being interviewed on TV after last Friday’s game, he called for his long-time girlfriend and No. 1 fan Lauren Hudson to sit beside him so they could enjoy the moment together. They hugged and kissed in front of the camera, an emotional outpouring that showed their love for each other. 

Caguioa averaged a career-high 24.6 points in 2006-07 but since 2014-15, hasn’t turned in a double figure clip. His scoring stats have gone down from 10.6 in 2013-14 to 9.8 to 7.0 to 4.4. In the Philippine Cup this season, Caguiao averaged 3.6 points and 12.4 minutes and in the Commissioner’s Cup, he averaged the same points and 7.8 minutes. In the ongoing Governors Cup, Caguioa is averaging 6.3 points. He’s no longer the major contributor he once was but as a role player, he still puts in the effort whenever his number is called. Caguioa remains relevant in Ginebra’s scheme of things particularly as a leader and example to the team’s new breed of players.