Basketbolnatin - PBA Teams

Gec Chia

2007-09-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 24
Position: Guard
Hometown: Zamboanga City
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: August 19, 1979
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lbs
College: ADMU

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Ronald "The Saint" Tubid

2007-09-17T01:10:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Saint/The Fearless
Jersey Number: 71
Position: Guard
Hometown: Iloilo City
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: October 15, 1981
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 174 lbs
College: UE

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Sunday Salvacion

2007-09-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 80
Position: Forward
Hometown: Albatago, Surigao del Sur
Civil Status: Married
Birthdate: December 17, 1978
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190 lbs
College: College of Saint Benilde

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Andy " The Eagle" Seigle

2007-09-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Eagle
Jersey Number: 52
Position: Center
Hometown: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: May 15, 1972
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 230 lbs

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Mark "The Spark" Caguioa

2007-09-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Spark/The Furious
Jersey Number: 47
Position: Guard
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: November 19, 1979
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180 lbs
College: Glendale Community College

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Mike Holper

2007-09-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 45
Position: Forward/Center
Hometown: San Diego, California
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: May 21, 1981
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 215 lbs
College: San Diego University

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Rudy "H-Bomb' Hatfield

2007-09-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

Monicker: H-BOmb
Jersey Number: 99
Position: Forward/Center
Birthdate: September 13, 1977
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Height (ft.in.): 6'3"
Weight(lbs.): 205

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Eric "Major Pain" Menk

2007-09-17T00:52:00.000-07:00

Monicker: Major Pain
Jersey Number: 30
Position: Forward/Center
Hometown: Michigan
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: August 24, 1974
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 220 lbs

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Johnny "The Flying A" Abarrientos

2007-09-17T00:50:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Flying A
Jersey Number: 14
Position: Guard
Hometown: Manila
Civil Status: Married
Birthdate: July 17, 1970
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 155 lbs
College: FEU

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Mark Macapagal

2007-09-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 18
Position: Guard
Hometown: Pampanga
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: September 20, 1979
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 lbs

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Jay Jay Helterbrand

2007-09-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Fast
Jersey Number: 13
Position: Guard
Hometown: Pinas
Civil Status: Married
Birthdate:
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 160 lbs

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Egay Echavez

2007-09-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 12
Position: Guard
Hometown: Ozamiz City
Civil Status: Married
Birthdate: February 25, 1978
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 160 lbs

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Paolo Hubalde

2007-09-17T00:43:00.000-07:00

Name: Dean Paulo Villegas Hubalde
Monicker:
Jersey Number: 3
Position: Guard
Hometown: Manila/Antipolo
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: January 24, 1981
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 165 lbs

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Rodney "The Slasher" Santos

2007-09-17T00:35:00.000-07:00

Monicker: The Slasher
Jersey Number: 9
Position: Guard
Hometown: Meycauayan, Bulacan
Civil Status: Married
Birthdate: May 30, 1973
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 lbs
Colllege: San Sebastian College

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Billy Mamaril

2007-09-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

Monicker:
Jersey Number: 2
Position: Forward/Center
Hometown: Bocaue, Bulacan
Civil Status: Single
Birthdate: June 25, 1980
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 220 lbs
College: Bakersfield College

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2007-09-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Current Roster

Position No. Player

F/C 2 Billy Mamaril
G 9 John Rodney Santos
G 3 Paolo Hubalde
F/C 4 Rafi Reavis
G 12 Edgar Echavez
G 13 Anthony Helterbrand
G 18 Mark Macapagal
G 14 Johnny Abarrientos
F/C 30 Eric Menk
F 99 Rudy Hatfield
F/C 45 Michael Holper
G 47 Mark Anthony Caguioa
C 52 Andrew John Seigle
F 80 Sunday Salvacion
G 71 Ronald Tubid
G 24 Gec Chia

2007-09-17T00:16:00.001-07:00

Coaches

* Robert Jaworski
* Allan Caidic
* Pilo Pumaren
* Rino Salazar (interim)
* Turo Valenzona
* Bethune "Siot" Tanquingcen
* Joseph "Jong" Uichico

Retired numbers

Although not officially retired by the team, Robert Jaworski's #7 jersey has not been used by any player since Jaworski left the team. Allan Caidic's #8 jersey might also been retired as Ronald Tubid was not allowed to use it when he transferred to Ginebra.

Brgy. Ginebra Kings (1999 - Present0

2007-09-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

1999-Present: Barangay Ginebra Kings

After Jaworski left, the team still enjoyed popularity. The chant of Ginebra! Ginebra! filled the air wherever the team was playing. It is said that their fans can compose a barangay, hence the phrase Barangay Ginebra came into being to denote the team's legions of fans.

In 1999, the team was then officially called Barangay Ginebra. Now, "Barangay Ginebra" did not only denote to the fans of the team, but to the club as well. It is often said that wherever Ginebra plays, they have a homecourt advantage.

In the All-Filipino, Brgy. Ginebra only managed to finish 8th in the eliminations, and needed to win twice against the first-seeded Mobiline Phone Pals team of Asi Taulava. The Kings managed to forced a knockout match, winning the first game. In the decider, Brgy. Ginebra came back from a 20 point deficit and Bal David's off-balance game-winner resulted in one of the biggest upsets in league history to advance to the next round. Taulava was seen crying in disappointment after the game. In the semis, they were eliminated by eventual champion Shell that was marred by a scuffle in Game One of the series.

Noli Locsin was later traded to Pop Cola for the acrobatic Vergel Meneses but it still didn't help the Kings throughout the season. Allan Caidic replaced Rino Salazar as the team's head coach. In the offseason, Marlou Aquino was also traded, this time to Sta Lucia for Jun Limpot.

Brgy. Ginebra was eliminated early in the quarterfinals by Tanduay in the 2000 All-Filipino Cup as well as the Commissioner's Cup. With Brian Green as import for the Governors' Cup, the Kings tried to repeat the same result of the 1999 All-Filipino against Mobiline. But the Phone Pals were able to beat Brgy. Ginebra in the knockout match.

In 2001, Barangay Ginebra drafted Filipino-American Mark Caguioa, a virtual unknown in the Philippine basketball scene. Despite that, Caguioa showed brilliance during the All-Filipino, earning his current nickname The Spark. The Kings finished 5th in the eliminations and faced Purefoods, who had a twice-to-beat advantage, in the quarterfinals. In a repeat of the events of two years ago, the Kings were able to defeat the TJ Hotdogs twice, after an off-balanced game-winner by Ronald Magtulis, to enter the semis. The Kings faced Shell in a five-game affair, and Brgy. Ginebra upset the top-seeded Turbo Chargers in five games to meet sister team San Miguel in the finals. Barangay Ginebra trailed 0-2 but won the next two games to tie the series at 2-2. In the end though, the Beermen won the series in six games.

Ginebra's success in the All-Filipino were not duplicated in the import-laced Commissioner's and Governor's Cup as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

After the season, the Kings acquired Eric Menk from Tanduay to solidy their frontline for the 2002 season. Unfortunately, Menk was loaned to the Philippine team and the Kings struggled throughout the Governor's and Commissioner's Cups, once again failing to enter the semis. In the All-Filipino, Menk made his Ginebra debut but the team did not enter the quarterfinals.

Rommel Adducul finally made his PBA debut after his years with the Metropolitan Basketball Association. Barangay Ginebra selected the former San Sebastian College - Recoletos Stag as the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft. His addition though, did not help Ginebra's fortune to change for the 29th season. In the All-Filipino conference, they were eliminated by eventual champions, Talk N' Text Phone Pals in the quarterfinals. They also failed to qualify for the Invitational tournament, after being eliminated by eventual champions, Alaska Aces in the qualifying rounds. In the season ending Reinforced Conference, they were knocked out by sister team and eventual champions, Coca Cola Tigers in the quarterfinals.

Gordon's Gin Boars (1997 - 1998)

2007-09-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

1997-1998: Gordon's Gin Boars

In 1997, Ginebra was renamed once again, this time as the Gordon's Gin Boars. Gordon's was now considered as a title favorite for the league's 23rd season.

One of the most memorable shots in team history was Bal David's final second heave from half-court to defeat San Miguel by a point during the All-Filipino Cup.

Gordon's entered the Finals of the All-Filipino against the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys. Purefoods managed to take a 3-1 series lead. In Game Five, they were about to score a winning basket after a Gordon's turnover. But Vince Hizon blocked Dindo Pumaren's layup, as the Boars lived another day. Unfortunately, in Game Six, the strong performance of Alvin Patrimonio and company denied Gordon's a title losing the series 4-2. The loss marked Jaworski's (playing coach) last game with the La Tondeña franchise and did not enter himself in a game since.

In the Commissioner's Cup, NBA veteran Chris King became a replacement in time for the semis of the tournament. Gordon's met sister-team San Miguel in a knockout semifinal match. It was a true classic game that went to double overtime and saw several comebacks by Gordon's. The Boars won, 105-101, to meet Alaska in the finals. Gordon's eventually defeated Alaska in six games for their first title in six years. Jaworski got into the mic and thanked the Gordon's Gin fans for their support.

Expectations were high for the Governor's Cup, but they were eliminated by Sta. Lucia in the quarterfinals.

In 1998, Jaworski ran for a senatorial seat for the elections which he won by a lot of votes. This led to a conflict between Jaworski's role in the Senate and his role as coach of Ginebra (named during the Commissioner's Cup). Assistant Rino Salazar was named as interim at one point. Ginebra still struggled despite the addition of Bong Alvarez to the team.

That year, Danding Cojuangco regained ownership of San Miguel Corporation. One of the moves the team made was adding Allan Caidic from San Miguel Beer. This caused a rift between Jaworski and the new management because he was not informed of the move. In a press conference held at the Senate, Jaworski resigned as playing coach of Ginebra.

To this day, Jaworski hasn't announced his retirement, but before he quit his post, he was considered the oldest basketball player on any roster at 52 years of age.

Back to Ginebra San Miguel (1991 - 1996)

2007-09-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

1991-1996: Back to Ginebra San Miguel

In 1991, Añejo reverted back to Ginebra. They met Shell once again in the 1991 First Conference title series. Shell got the upper hand by taking a 3-1 series, needing only a win to clinch the series. But Ginebra managed a furious comeback to force a seventh game. In the final seconds of Game 7, an off-balanced shot by Rudy Distrito with a second remaining sealed Ginebra's third PBA title and completed the greatest comeback in PBA history.

Ginebra placed third in the 1992 Third Conference but at that time the team was starting to fade.

In the 1993 pre-season, the Gins were given the second overall pick in the 1993 PBA draft behind new team Sta. Lucia Realty (which replaced Presto). They drafted former FEU power forward Victor Pablo but immediately traded him to 7-Up Uncolas for veterans Manny Victorino and Alejo Alolor. The said trade was lambasted by most fans, and it cost Ginebra their performance for the year where they compiled a record of 9-26 win-loss slate in all three conferences. This horrible performance gave them the top pick in the next draft.

In 1994, in an effort to change their fortunes, the team was renamed as Tondeña Rhum 65. The team selected Noli Locsin with their first pick, and was hoped by many fans to save the team for the season. But Tondeña's struggles continued, winning just 12 of the 32 games that year.

In 1995, the team reverted again to Ginebra. They selected 7-0 center Edward Joseph Feihl and also drafted Jaworski's son, Robert Jr. The drafting of Feihl surprised many basketball analysts. They were expecting Ginebra to either draft Kenneth Duremdes or Jeffrey Cariaso at that time. Jaworski later quoted "It's not everyday that you see a 7-footer applying for the draft." Unfortunately, misfortunes still struck the team as Ginebra won only 5 of the 30 games played that year, capped by a 0-10 win-loss record during the Governor's Cup. The worst season triggered rumors that Ginebra was disbanding. But the rumor was quickly killed off after the team posted a printed advertisement in major newspapers that they were staying in the PBA. As a result, Ginebra snagged the top pick again in the next draft. This was the last time a PBA team with the worst record was awarded the top pick in the draft. In the succeeding drafts, the worst PBA team had to compete with the second worst team via lottery to determine the No. 1 ranking in the PBA draft.

In 1996, Ginebra used the top overall pick to draft controversial center Marlou Aquino from Adamson University. Aquino was a big star in the PBL for Nikon and Stag Pale Pilsen but was involved in a controversial scandal in terms of his academic status with Adamson although it was somewhat neglected when he jumped pro. Aquino showed the promise Ginebra fans expected during the All-Filipino Conference as Ginebra won fourth place that tournament. It also showed the discovery of former University of Santo Tomas point guard Bal David as one of the team's popular players along with Vince Hizon, Jayvee Gayoso and Pido Jarencio.

In the Commissioner's Cup, the team was paraded by NBA veteran Henry James as Ginebra wound up in a knockout match against familiar rival Formula Shell. Kenny Redfield's buzzer-beating three enabled Formula Shell to enter the finals. Ginebra finally entered the Finals of the Governors Cup but lost to the grand slam winning Alaska Milkmen in five games.

Aquino's impact on Ginebra gave the team a 30-game improvement from a year ago and was named as the Rookie of the Year.

Anejo Rhum 65 (1988 - 19900

2007-09-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

1988-1990: Añejo Rhum 65

In 1988, Ginebra changed their name to Añejo Rhum with the team already gaining a rugged style of play. Añejo took on new team Purefoods in the Finals of the All-Filipino Conference. Añejo won the series 3-1 over the young Purefoods team led by Jerry Codinera and Jojo Lastimosa (who had a confrontation with Jaworski). At that time Ramon Fernandez was benched by Purefoods management for alleged game-fixing. In the final game, three Ginebra players scored 25 points or more - Joey Loyzaga, Dondon Ampalayo and Sonny Jaworski as the Gins didn't allow the then rookie-laden Purefoods team to gain confidence, winning by a comfortable 9 point margin. Of course, the game was close all throughout until the final 3 minutes of the game when Loyzaga and Jaworski uncorked timely 3 pointers that sealed the fate of Purefoods.[3]

In the season-ending Reinforced Conference wherein teams were allowed two imports each, Añejo again hired the great Billy Ray Bates and paired him with soon-to-be Boston Celtics starter Kevin Gamble. But at this time, Bates was fading and was clearly just a shadow of his old self. After only four games, PBA's "greatest import ever" was sent home for good. Añejo would finish the season with the exciting and high-scoring duo of "Jumpin'" Joe Ward and Tommy Davis as imports.

On the next season, Añejo lost in five games to the grand slam winning San Miguel Beer in the Third (Reinforced) Conference. In that Conference, Añejo paraded another super import in Carlos Briggs who easily bagged the Best Import Award.

In 1990, Añejo entered the finals of the First Conference against Benjie Paras and the Shell Rimula X team. In Game Six, with Shell already leading the series 3-2, Añejo protested a foul on Rey Cuenco with a few minutes left in the second quarter. This led to the infamous walk out of Añejo. The team also complained about the unfavorable officiating as the team had more fouls than Shell. In the end, the game was forfeited and awarded the title to Shell.

The result of this event gave the team a fine of more PHP 500,000 which was then the highest fine in league history.

Ginebra San Miguel (1985 - 1987)

2007-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

1985-1987: Ginebra San Miguel

By 1985, Gilbey's was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel. Following the recruitement of the immensely popular backcourt tandem of Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz, the fanbase of Ginebra grew. These were mostly Toyota fans that followed the two stalwarts. (The precursor of the wild Baranggay Ginebra that cheered themselves hoarse in the rafters were the old raucous Toyota cheering squads that rumbled with Crispa fans in the rafters of the Araneta Coliseum). With Jaworski and Arnaiz at the forefront, Ginebra's fanbase grew larger. It grew as the ex Toyota backcourt infected the team with the legendary Toyota fighting spirit:

In 1985, Ginebra established itself as the "people's team" when they displayed their never-say-die attitude on court. The biggest manifestation was when their leader, Jaworski came back from the nearby Medical City with seven stitches in his lip to lead the Gins to a come-from-behind victory against NCC. Jaworski incurred this from a wayward elbow inflicted by Jeff Moore in the second canto. But with them behind by 15 points going into the final seven minutes of the game, Jaworski re-entered the court and sparked a frenzy that to date, has yet been matched. The NCC team simply froze upon sight of the Big J and didn't know what hit them, eventually losing to the Gins.[2]

Jaworski and Arnaiz turned the moribund franchise into a competitive one almost overnight when in the first conference of the 1984 season, the All Filipino, they led the team to a runnerup finish against powerhouse Crispa.

However in 1985, Ginebra failed to enter the finals in each of the three conferences, despite the team's growing number of fan support, showing only a strong third place finish in the Reinforced Conference.

Michael Hackett also saw his name in the PBA record books by scoring 103 points in Ginebra's 197-168 victory against Great Taste on November 21, 1985. This was later broken by Swift's Tony Harris in a 1992 game, against Ginebra.

Former Crispa import Billy Ray Bates was brought in for the 1986 Open Conference. Each PBA team was allowed to get two imports for the said conference. Bates' other partner was Michael Hackett, who was the 1985 Open Conference Best Import. It is believed that the pair was the greatest import tandem in PBA history.

The super imports combined to lead Ginebra in the Finals of the tournament against the Lucio Tan franchise now known as Manila Beer, with the newly acquired Abet Guidaben and imports Michael Young and Harold Keeling. Bates and Hackett powered Ginebra to a convincing 4-1 win in the series to give the team its first-ever championship.

Unfortunately, Francis Arnaiz suddenly left for the United States before Ginebra won this first championship, ending his 11-year PBA career and popular backcourt tandem with Jaworski.

Gilbey's Gin (1979 - 1984)

2007-09-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

1979-1984: Gilbey's Gin

Joining the league in 1979, it was known as Gilbey's Gin of then-owner Carlos Palanca Jr.'s La Tondeña franchise. Its first head coach was Pilo Pumaren and was bannered by former MICAA standout Willie Tanduyan and imports Larry McNeil and Dean Tolson. Gilbey's managed to placed fourth in the 1979 Invitational tournament.

Willie Generalao won the Rookie of the Year honors during the 1980 season as Gilbey's placed fourth in the All-Filipino tournament.

Gilbey's also changed its name one time as St. George Whiskies when they had a bunch of young teenagers acting as cheerleaders.

In 1982, the Gins made it to their first Finals appearance during the Open Conference. But, they were swept by Toyota team of coach Ed Ocampo, Robert Jaworski, and Ramon Fernandez.

Gilbey's made another Finals appearance in the 1983 All-Filipino but was also swept by Tommy Manotoc's Crispa Redmanizers in the first of three titles won by the fabled Redmanizers squad.

Before the 1984 PBA season, Toyota announced its departure from the league after winning nine titles in nine seasons. As part of an agreement with new team Beer Hausen, the rights of the Toyota players will be acquired by Beer Hausen. The team owned by Lucio Tan is entering its first year in the PBA.

Jaworski and backcourt partner Francis Arnaiz refused to join the Beer Hausen team. This further ingnited the internal Toyota feud between Jaworski and Fernandez which went on for the next several years. With this development, Gilbey's accepted Jaworski, Arnaiz and Arnie Tuadles to name a few while several Toyota players, led by Fernandez, joined Beer Hausen.

Gilbey's suffered another loss in the championship as the Crispa Redmanizers defeated the Gins, 4-1, giving Crispa its last PBA title.

2004 - Present

2007-09-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

2004-2005: Back-to-back titles

At the start of the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference, Caidic was promoted to team manager and was replaced by former San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquincen. One of Tanquincen's best moves was to give more playing time to comebacking Jayjay Helterbrand over veteran Bal David, who was nursing an injury. His partnership with Mark Caguioa was later dubbed by ABC Sports commentators as the "Fast and the Furious." The team also traded Jun Limpot and Rob Johnson to sister team Purefoods in exchange for Rodney Santos and Andy Seigle. The changes helped Ginebra to become a strong team during the season.

And in July 7, 2004, Barangay Ginebra ended a 7-year title drought when they defeated Red Bull Barako in a best of 5 finals, 3-1, capturing the transition 2004 Fiesta Conference. During that time, Torraye Braggs was their import player. It was actually a total miracle as the team was only seeded 7th after the classification rounds. In the sudden death wildcard phase, they came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Sta. Lucia Realtors. In the quarterfinal round, they had a 2-1 record, good enough to make it to the semifinals. In the best of 3 semifinals, they eventually survived the Talk N' Text Phone Pals in Game 3 on their way to the finals.

In February 11, 2005, Barangay Ginebra proved that the last championship was not a fluke by winning the next conference, the 2004-2005 Philippine Cup, a conference without imports. They dethroned the defending champions Talk N' Text Phone Pals, 4-2, in a controversial best of 7 Finals series. Game One was forfeited in favor of Ginebra when Phone Pals star center Asi Taulava, who was ineligible to play, entered the game. His citizenship case was still on the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. The Kings filed a protest prior to the start of game one. Barangay Ginebra carried the momentum and went on to win the championship. This was also the first time in franchise history that they won back-to-back championships.

2005-2006: Ginebra-Red Bull playoffs duel

The Kings' victory over Red Bull in the 2004 Fiesta Conference broke the flawless finals record of the Bulls. And it proved to be costly too, as Red Bull would go on to master Ginebra in the next 3 conferences that would follow after the Kings' back-to-back championships, denying the Kings numerous chances to rewrite history.

In the 2004-05 Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra had a chance to rewrite history by winning the last possible 3-conference championship grand slam. Unfortunately, obstacles such as import problems, injury to star point guard Jayjay Helterbrand and the suspension of future MVP Eric Menk due to citizenship issues, made the team struggle throughout the conference. They placed 9th of 10 teams in the conference after being swept by Red Bull Barako in the best of 3 wildcard phase of the playoffs. Red Bull Barako took 4th place after being defeated by eventual champions, and Ginebra's sister team, San Miguel Beermen.

In the 2005-2006 Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra was seeded to the semifinals after winning the 2nd seed playoff against Red Bull Barako. Original import Sean Lampley was replaced in time for the playoffs, by former Auburn University standout Chris Porter, in order to strengthen Ginebra's quest to regain the Fiesta Conference title. But, his addition was not enough to help the Kings reach the Finals.

They faced Red Bull Barako themselves in the semifinals, and eventually lost in the series, 4-3. But the Kings showed real fighting heart as they came back and tied the series, after being down 1-3. It was an emotional series for the fans, who were expecting for a repeat of the historic comeback made by the team during the 1991 First Conference.

After the series, coach Siot Tanquincen, apologized to the legion of the team's fans. It was also revealed that Mark Caguioa was playing hurt and had a hamstring injury throughout the series. Barangay Ginebra battled Air21 Express for 3rd place honors but lost. In that game, an evidently lackluster Barangay Ginebra team played, which was believed to be still emotionally down from their game 7 defeat. Red Bull Barako eventually won the championship against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants in six games.

In the 2005-2006 Philippine Cup, Barangay Ginebra finished with a 7-9 win-loss record in the classification phase. Being defending champions, they were considered as favorites to win the tournament. Unfortunately, injuries haunted the team as players began to fall one by one. All-stars Eric Menk and Rommel Adducul and role players Rodney Santos and Andy Seigle all suffered injuries during the conference. The Kings made a gallant stand in the wildcard phase as role players Manny Ramos, Allan Salansang, Ervin Sotto and Mark Macapagal, were able to step up their games. Ginebra took the sixth and final spot in the quarterfinals after defeating Air21 on June 4 with a 118-114 overtime victory as Mark Caguioa recorded a new career-high with 45 points.

However, the Kings still fell short as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Red Bull, 3-2. After Ginebra led 2-1 in the series, the Bulls clinched the series by defeating the Kings by more than 25 points in the last two games. The Bulls went on to survive the Beermen in 7 semis games, before being denied a grand slam themselves by the Giants.

2006-07 Season: Star-studded team

In the off season, the Kings were involved in the controversial three-way-team trade with Coca-Cola Tigers and Air21 Express. The first part of the trade saw the Express sending Ryan Bernardo and its 2007 and 2008 first-round draft picks to the Tigers for Rafi Reavis, Billy Mamaril and the rights to Rudy Hatfield. The second part sent Reavis, Mamaril and Hatfield's rights from the Express to the Kings for Kalani Ferreria, Aries Dimaunahan, Manny Ramos, and Ervin Sotto plus the Kings two second-round draft picks this year and a future first-round pick. The third part was voided by Commissioner Noli Eala, which would have allowed the Express to regain its own 2007 and 2008 picks plus the Tigers' 2008 second round draft pick from Coke, in exchange for Ferreria and Ramos plus the second-round pick this year and the future first-round pick. Air21 and Coca-Cola submitted a revised version of that part of the trade and was approved by Commissioner Eala.

Under the revised version, the Express will trade Manny Ramos and Kalani Ferreria plus two second-round picks acquired from San Miguel and Ginebra to the Tigers. The Tigers retained Air21's 2007 and 2008 first-round picks but traded away their 2008 and 2009 first-round picks.

The trade has been questioned by many within the league as a one-sided trade. It also speculated the rumors of Coca-Cola's possible disbandment from the league, which was denied in a statement released by the president of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.(CCBPI) and PBA board of governors for the Coca-Cola Tigers.

Also, the coaching staff underwent a major revamp with Jong Uichico, from sister team San Miguel Beer, taking over coaching duties from Siot Tanquingcen. Tanquingcen demoted as assistant coach, along with Art Dela Cruz and Junno Sauler. Dela Cruz is also from San Miguel Beer, having served as assistant coach, while Sauler is a holdover from Tanquingcen's coaching staff. Uichico, Tanquincen, and Dela Cruz powered San Miguel Beer in their late-90s championship run and also helped win their 17th title.

As part of their preparations for the 2006-07 PBA season, the team competed in the 6th Shell Rimula Brunei Cup but failed to make it to the semis after losing close games. They started the PBA pre-season tournament with a 90-75 drubbling of Purefoods,[4] but failed to advance to the pre-season finals due to an inferior record of only 2-2.

Rudy Hatfield made a comeback from years of absence and he decided to play for Ginebra alongside with his bestfriend, Eric Menk.

Coca-cola released Johnny Abarrientos 2 weeks before the start of PBA and Ginebra was able to catch him as back-up guard for Jayjay Helterbrand. His court generalship will be additional factor as Kings' powerhouse line-up.

2006-2007 Philippine Cup

In the season opener, the Kings defeated the expansion Welcoat Dragons 102-69 on October 1. Two victories over sister team Purefoods and Air21 gave Ginebra an early 3-0 record before being defeated by Red Bull in a hyped matchup on October 15.

Rommel Adducul was later sent to the San Miguel Beermen as part of a three-team deal which involved Red Bull, a non-SMC squad. [5] Ironically, the following game saw the two sister teams face off at the Cuneta Astrodome, in a game which the Beermen edged 101-97 in overtime, after leading by as much as 20 points during the regulation period. At the middle of the elimination round, they have acquired the energetic Ronald Tubid from the Air21 Express. [6] Midway through the elimination round, the team managers of SMC squads were shuffled. Ginebra's team manager, Allan Caidic was replaced by Samboy Lim and Caidic was sent to the Coca-Cola Tigers. The Kings advanced to the semifinals as the first seed. [7] On the semifinal series against the Phone Pals, they won the pivotal Game 5 where the series was tied 2-2, leading to the series clinching Game 6 win.

In the finals, Ginebra met sister team San Miguel Beer and fell behind 0-2 early in the series. They would win their next four games, with games 3 and 4 being blowouts, being only the fifth PBA team to win the title after losing their first two games. Ginebra's backcourt general Jayjay Helterbrand sank the two crucial free throws of Game 6, was adjudged Finals MVP, while Mark Caguioa the consistent scoring machine won the Best Player of the Conference award.

Barangay Ginebr Kings

2007-09-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

Unofficial Ginebra Website

Joined: 1979
History:
Gilbey's Gins: 1979-1980, 1982-1984
St. George Whiskies: 1981
Ginebra San Miguel: 1985-1987, 1991-1993, 1995-96, 1998
Añejo Rhum 65ers: 1988-1990
Tondeña 65 Rhummasters: 1994
Gordon's Gin Boars: 1997
Barangay Ginebra Kings: 1999-present
Team colors: Red and white
Company: Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.
Head coach: Jong Uichico
Championships: 7 (1986 Reinforced, 1988 All Filipino, 1991 1st Conf., 1997 Commissioner's, 2004 Fiesta, 2004-2005 Philippines, 2006-2007 Philippines)

Other Infos

Gilbey's Gin
Ginebra San Miguel
Anejo Rhum 65
Back to Ginebra San Miguel
Gordon's Gin Boars
Baranggay Ginebra Kings
2004 - Present
Coaches and Retired Numbers
Current Roster

* For more Team and Player Informations, visit their (unofficial) website: click here

Dale Singson

2007-09-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #50
Name: Dale Singson
Position:Guard
Height: 6′0″
Birthday: December 2, 1975
Birthplace: Cebu City
Year Started: 2000

[Back to Aces Roster]

Christian Luanzon

2007-09-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #9
Name: Christian Luanzon
Position:Guard-Forward
Height: 6′3″
Birthday: January 22, 1983
Birthplace: San Jose, California
Year Started: 2006

[Back to Aces Roster]

Aaron Aban

2007-09-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #17
Name: Aaron Aban
Position:Guard-Forward
Height: 6′3″
Birthday: April 8, 1982
Birthplace: Cagayan De Oro City
Year Started: 2006

[Back to Aces Roster]

Rensy Bajar

2007-09-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #5
Name: Rensy Bajar
Position:Guard
Height: 5′8″
Birthday: October 6, 1976
Birthplace: Manila
Year Started: 2002

[Back to Aces Roster]

Eddie Laure

2007-09-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #11
Name: Eddie Laure
Position:Forward
Height: 6′4″
Birthday: July 6, 1977
Birthplace: Zamboanga del Norte
Year Started: 2003

[Back to Aces Roster]

Poch Juinio

2007-09-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #32
Name: Edward Juinio
Position:Center/Forward
Height: 6′5″
Birthday: May 25, 1973
Birthplace: Quezon City

[Back to Aces Roster]

"Big" John Ferriols

2007-09-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #55
Name: John Ferriols
Monicker: Big John
Position: Forward
Height: 6′4″
Birthday: September 9, 1974
Birthplace: Cebu City
Year Started: 2003

[Back to Aces Roster]

Sonny Thoss

2007-09-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #7
Name: Joachim Thoss
Position: Center
Height: 6′7″
Birthday: December 7, 1981
Birthplace: Papua New Guinea
Year Started: 2004

[Back to Aces Roster]

Willie Miller

2007-09-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #13
Name: Willie Miller
Monicker: The Thriller
Position: Guard
Height: 5′11″
Birthday: July 13, 1977
Birthplace: Olongapo City
Year Started: 2001

[Back to Aces Roster]

Reynel Hugnatan

2007-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #21
Name: Reynel Hugnatan
Position: Forward
Height: 6′4″
Birthday: November 3, 1978
Birthplace: Bacolod City
Year Started: 2003

[Back to Aces Roster]

Tony Dela Cruz

2007-09-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #35
Name: Anthony Dela Cruz
Position: Forward
Height: 6′5″
Birthday: August 24, 1978
Birthplace: West Covina, California
Year Started: 2000

[Back to Aces Roster]

Mike "Cool Cat' Cortez

2007-09-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #1
Name: Mike Cortez
Monicker: Cool Cat
Position: Guard
Height: 6′0″
Birthday: November 10, 1980
Birthplace: San Jose, CA, USA
Year Started: 2003

[Back to Aces Roster]

Jeffrey "The Jet" Cariaso

2007-09-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jersey: #22
Name: Jeffrey Cariaso
Monicker: The Jet
Position: Guard
Height: 6′2″
Birthday: September 12, 1972
Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Year Started: 1995

[Back to Aces Roster]

2007-09-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Current Roster

Position No. Player

G 1 Mike Cortez
F - Jun Jun Cabatu
G 5 Rensy Bajar
F 7 Joachim Thoss
F 9 Christian luanzon
F 11 Eddie Laure
G 13 Willie Miller
G/F 17 Aaron Aban
F 21 Reynel Hugnatan
G 22 Jeffrey Cariaso
C - Kenneth Bono
F - JR Quinahan
G/F - Ardy Larong
C 32 Poch Juinio
F 35 Tony Dela Cruz
G 50 Dale Singson
F 55 John Ferriols

[Back to Alaska Main]

2007-09-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Coaches

* Nat Canson (1986-1987)
* Turo Valenzona (1987-1988)
* Bogs Adornado (1989)
* Tim Cone (1989-Present)

Retired numbers

* 6 Jojo Lastimosa - retired during the opening of the 2003 season
* 20 Sean Chambers - retired after Chambers announced his retirement in the 2001 Govenors Cup
* 33 William "Bogs" Adornado - retired during the opening of the 1988 season

Mascot

The Aces' mascot is E. Cow, a cow wearing an Alaska jersey and shades. E. Cow currently appears in Alaska's milk products marketed for young children.

[Back to Alaska Main]

2007-08 season

2007-09-16T21:56:00.001-07:00

In the 2007 PBA Draft held on August 19, 2007 at the Market! Market! in Taguig, Alaska picked Adamson stalwart, Ken Bono, and University of Visayas Green Lancers starting center, JR "Baby Shaq" Quiñahan as the 6th and 7th over-all picks of the PBA Draft in the 1st round. The team also grabbed PBL veteran Ardy Larong, as the 6th pick of the 2nd round and 16th over-all pick of the Draft.

After the draft, it was confirmed that Alaska traded veteran Nic Belasco to Welcoat in exchange for former DLSU Green Archer, Junjun Cabatu. Reports said that the reason behind the trade was Belasco was asking for more than the maximum PBA contract worth P350,000. Alaska, unfortunately, is already on the verge of exceeding the salary cap, with Mike Cortez, Jeffrey Cariaso, league MVP Willie Miller, and RP Team Member Tony Dela Cruz already receiving maximum salaries.

[Back to Alaska Main]

2006-07

2007-09-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Head coach Tim Cone signed a contract extension to remain with the team, erasing speculation of his possible dismissal. In the 2006 PBA Draft, Alaska selected Letran's Aaron Aban and UST's Christian Luanzon.

Starting the 2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup poorly, they've rebounded to finish with an 8-10 record, qualifying themselves a wildcard berth. After losing in a last-second overtime thriller against Coca-Cola, and a win by Sta. Lucia on the next game date, the Aces were eliminated from contention, despite winning their last game against Sta. Lucia.

Injuries to Reynel Hugnatan, via a kick from Purefoods shooting guard Noy Castillo during the semifinals of the 2006 Philippine Cup against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, and Mike Cortez, during the start of the seasonafter falling awkwardly againsts Marlou Aquino and the Sta. Lucia Realtors, depleted the Aces in the tournament.

Alaska started the Fiesta Conference with a 7-4 card before the All-Star break, with Rosell Ellis as their import. Shooting Guard, Willie Miller provided a strong performance for the Aces during the tournament posting numerous 20 point-games.

Ace playmaker Mike Cortez came back in the late part of the elimination round. Alaska finished 12-6, 2nd in the elimination round and beat the Barangay Ginebra Kings 103-95 via an amazing comeback to earn an automatic semifinal slot joining Red Bull Barako, who already earned a semifinal slot finishing 13-5, 1st in the league.

They reached the Finals for the 19th time when they beat the San Miguel Beermen in the semifinals (4-2) in six games. They faced the Talk N' Text Phone Pals, who surprised Red Bull Barako in six games. The Aces drew first blood by taking game 1 but fell behind with a 1-2 series deficit. Newly crowned MVP candidate Willie Miller erupted for 29 points to tie the series. Miller, though, turned cold on Game 6 as the Phone Pals went over the hill, 3-2.

Miller then shone through a sterling offensive performance for a 37-point output on Game 6 to force Game 7. Game 7 was a tight affair but the Aces broke through with a Miller steal off Fiesta Conference Best Player Mark Cardona to seal Alaska's first title since 2000.

[Back to Alaska Main]

2007-09-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

History

1986: First season

After the temporary departure of the Magnolia team prior to the start of the 1986 season, the league reduced to only five teams. Alaska Milk Corporation of American owner Wilfred Uytengsu was accepted as the league's sixth team before the start of the 1986 season in April. Alaska acquired several holdovers from the old Magnolia team (Marte Saldana, Rudy Distrito and Biboy Ravanes among others) for their inaugural campaign.

Alaska's imports for the 1986 Reinforced Conference were former Utah Jazz Jerry Lee Eaves and former Toyota import Donnie Ray Koonce.

In its very first conference, Alaska would place third behind Tanduay, Great Taste, and Ginebra.

Norman Black stayed with Alaska as its import for the Open Conference teaming up with an import by the name of Mike Morrison. [1]

A list of the 1986 Alaska lineup is listed on this [2].

* Dennis Abbatuan
* Teodocio 'Teddy' Alfarero
* Alejo 'Pongkee' Alolor
* Noli Banate
* Reynaldo 'Rey' Cuenco
* Rudy Distrito
* Frankie Lim
* Reynaldo Ramos Jr.
* Ricardo 'Ricky' Relosa
* Marte Saldana
* Arnulfo 'Arnie' Tuadles
* Ludovico 'Naning' Valenciano
* Norman Black (Import)
* Donnie Ray Koonce
* Jerry Lee Eaves
* Keith Morrison

1987: Hills Bros. Coffee Kings

In 1987, Alaska Milk changed its name to the Hills Bros. Coffee Kings. After Manila Beer's disbandment, the Coffee Kings acquired Yoyoy Villamin to form a bruising tandem with Ricky Relosa, known as the "Bruise Brothers".

They also had former Crispa shooter William "Bogs" Adornado to banner the team, although the former three-time MVP was already slowing down at the time.

The All-Filipino saw the team finally jelling, with the emergence of the "Bruise Brothers" combination of Villamin and Relosa. It entered the Finals, where it got swept 3-0 by Great Taste Coffee. Despite the sweep, it was a brutal, physical Finals series with Villamin and Relosa being matched up against Great Taste's "Royal Brothers" Abe King and "Prince" Philip Cezar.

By virtue of its runner-up finish, Hills Bros. participated in the first PBA-IBA World Championship Cup. It finished third, behind the Los Angeles Cougars (which had future Alaska import Sean Chambers in its line-up) and Great Taste Coffee.

Reinforced Conference saw Hills Bros. parading a sweet-shooting import by the name of Jose Slaughter. On October 18, 1987 in a game which Hills Bros. won over Great Taste 129-115, Jose Slaughter scored 79 points, the most ever scored by an Alaska/Hills Bros. player in a game. He also scored 14 three point field goals.

The team also made the Finals, losing however to the Bobby Parks-reinforced San Miguel Beermen 4-1.

By the end of the year, Villamin and Relosa would be named the All-Defensive team. Villamin would also be named most improved player, the same award won by Ricky Relosa the year before. Nat Canson and former Tanduay bench tactician Turo Valenzona were the team's head coach during the '87 campaign.

After that year, Adornado announced his retirement from the league, his jersey no. 33 was retired and was hung in the rafters of the ULTRA during the opening of the 1988 season. He was first player in Alaska/Hills Bros franchise to have his number retired and was later named as the team's coach. [3]

1988-1990: Alaska Air Force

In 1988, the team reverted back to the Alaska name with the Air Force monicker. Some believe that the nickname was a sort of Uytengsu's support for the US soldiers that were based in Olongapo at that time.

The Air Force finished third place in both the Open and All-Filipino Conferences but failed to place more than fourth in the season-ending Reinforced Conference.

Before the 1989, Alaska acquired three players in what many believed as the richest drafts in league history. Bong Alvarez, Ric-Ric Marata and Boy Cabahug were taken from the draft. Same as a year before, Alaska won two third place trophies in the Open and Reinforced Conferences.

1991-1999: Alaska Milkmen

Arrival of Tim Cone

In 1989, American Earl Timothy Cone became the new coach of the Air Force after Adornado was fired during the season (owner Uytensu coached a won ballgame for the team). The year also saw the debut of Sean Chambers as Alaska's import.

In 1990, Alaska advanced in the finals of the Third Conference against a young Purefoods team. Their imports then were Carlos Clark and Chambers. After a 2-0 lead in the Best-of-five series, Alaska suffered one of the biggest collapses in league history as Purefoods won the next three games to win the title. The team had the top pick in the draft and grabbed Alex Araneta out of Ateneo. But in later years, Araneta was considered a bust and was out of the league by 1997.

In 1991, Eugene Quilban joined Alaska from the rookie draft to bolster the Alaska squad. Jojo Lastimosa was acquired after being taken from Purefoods in a trade with Elmer Cabahug. After a third-place showing in the All-Filipino, they returned to the finals of the Third Conference against crowd-favorite Ginebra San Miguel and former Laker Wes Matthews. Alvarez, Lastimosa and their teammates dominated the series that saw them winning it, 3 games to 1 for their first title in team history.

Alvarez was then eased out of the team, when his one-on-one style didn't suit the new offensive scheme being enforced by Tim Cone - the triangle offense. Quilban later left Alaska for 7-Up, in which he led the team to a finals loss to Swift. [4]

Alaska managed one third place finish in 1992. In the 1993 draft, the Milkmen drafted Far Eastern University point guard Johnny Abarrientos, an energetic and exciting little man who can drive to the basket against taller opponents. The Milkmen never won a trophy during their '93 campaign.

In 1994, Alaska acquired Bong Hawkins from Sta Lucia which helped "The Hawk" resurrect his career. Alaska lost to Purefoods in the Commissioner's Cup Finals. In the Governor's Cup, Alaska defeated Swift to win their third PBA title with Abarrientos, Lastimosa, Hawkins and import Sean Chambers leading the team.

In 1995, Alaska got Jeffrey Cariaso from the draft and added center Edward Juinio to the team. Alaska made it to the Finals of all conferences of 1995. In the All-Filipino, they lost a seven-game tussle against Sunkist. In the rematch, the Ronnie Grandison led Juicers once again powered the Derrick Hamilton-led Alaska to win the Commissioner's Cup crown. But, in the Governor's Cup, the Milkmen overcame a 2-3 deficit to defeat San Miguel in seven games with a strong performance by Lastimosa. Jeffrey Cariaso won Rookie of the Year honors at the end of this year.

1996 Grand Slam

In the All-Filipino Conference, the Milkmen defeated the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs team of Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera in five games. In the series-clincher, Jeffrey Cariaso was fouled in the final second on an inbound play. Cariaso sank both free-throws to seal Alaska's first title of the year.

Their toughest championship series was in the Commissioner's Cup Finals against a tough Formula Shell team of Benjie Paras, Victor Pablo, and import Kenny Redfield. After six grueling games, the Milkmen captured the seventh and final game to win their fifth title in franchise history with Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa and Bong Hawkins leading the team alongside import Sean Chambers, who came in to replace Derrick Hamilton midway through the conference.

Chambers returned for Alaska in the Governor's Cup and for the eighth straight time since 1994, Alaska was back in the Finals against crowd-favorite Ginebra San Miguel who ousted sister team San Miguel in the semis. But it was a one-sided affair as the Milkmen went to win the first three games of the series before defeating Ginebra in Game five to capture the feat.

By season's end, Hawkins, Lastimosa and Cariaso were included in the Mythical team while Abarrientos became the smallest man in PBA history to capture the coveted Most Valuable Player award.

Post-grand slam

Alaska suffered one of the biggest losses prior to the 1997 season when Jeffrey Cariaso signed with new PBA franchise, Pepsi Cola . The Milkmen failed to enter the semis of the All-Filipino Cup. In the Commissioner's Cup, the first ten games of the tournament was bannered by former Ginebra import Sylvester Gray. He was eventually replaced by Kevin Holland and the Milkmen advanced to the Finals against Gordon's Gin Boars. The Boars took a 3-0 series lead but Alaska managed to win the next two games to cut the deficit to 3-2. However, Gordon's won Game Six as Alaska fell short again. In the Governor's Cup, they landed Kenneth Duremdes from Pop Cola and the 24 year old slasher became a perfect replacement for Jeffrey Cariaso and a perfect running mate for Lastimosa and Abarrientos. Alaska, with Chambers once again as import, defeated Purefoods to win the title in five games.

In 1998, Alaska traded for former San Sebastian Star and slasher, Rodney Santos from the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs. Alaska then dominated the All-Filipino Cup and took on San Miguel in the finals. The Beermen led 3-2 after a strong showing by Nelson Asaytono in game five. But, Alaska won the next two games to capture another title.

Dreadlock-wearing Devin Davis powered Alaska in the Commissioners Cup, winning Best Import honors. The team advanced to the finals in a rematch against the Beermen. Duremdes was named as the Best Player of the Conference while defeating San Miguel in six games for their ninth title despite losing Bong Hawkins to a season-ending injury.

Already, several people were hyping a possible 'Grand Slam II' for the team. But, with the 1998 Asian Games set in December and Cone was named head coach, he tapped Abarrientos, Duremdes and Lastimosa to lead the Philippine team.

Assistants Jun Reyes and Dickey Bachmann took over for Alaska. But despite a strong showing by from slasher, Rodney Santos and shooter, Roel Gomez, the Milkmen failed to enter the semis of both the special 1998 PBA Centennial Cup and the season-ending Governors Cup.

Duremdes was named the Most Valuable Player at the end of the year, the second Alaska Milkman to win the coveted individual award.

With the arrival of some talented Filipino-American cagers in the league, the Milkmen opted to stick with the same core for the 1999 season. In the All-Filipino, the Milkmen was eliminated by expansion team Tanduay in the semis.

In the Commissioner's Cup, Devin Davis made his return to the team, but the young San Miguel team of Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle eliminated the Aces in five games. They finished third in the tournament.

Alaska advanced to the Finals of the Governor's Cup with Chambers at the helm but San Miguel led by Lamont Strothers defeated the Milkmen in six games despite Alaska getting an early 2-1 series lead.

In 2000, Jojo Lastimosa was traded to Pop Cola as part of the team's future plan to rebuild. Alaska won their 10th PBA title at the expense of Purefoods in the All-Filipino Conference. Purefoods won Game one of this series but the Milkmen won the next four games to win the series.

The Milkmen failed to enter the Finals of the Commissioner's Cup after they were eliminated by Beermen in the semi-finals.

2000-Present: Alaska Aces

As part of the league's move to strengthen its marketing through the PBA Properties, Alaska adopted a new monicker in the Alaska Aces (curiosly, the PBA team came up with the "Alaska Aces" name first, since the Anchorage Aces of Anchorage, Alaska was renamed only on 2003) replaced its original logo and uniforms to a more cartoonish-look which they still have today. Despite the change, however, Alaska failed to reach the Finals of the Governor's Cup once again.

Before the 2001 season, the Aces traded popular star Johnny Abarrientos to the Pop Cola Panthers for forward Ali Peek and guard Jon Ordonio. In the draft, Alaska used the fifth pick to draft fil-am John Arigo. The Aces also signed Duremdes to a reported 48 million peso deal for seven years.

In the All-Filipino, the Aces were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Abarrientos and Pop Cola. In the Commissioners Cup, a strong showing by Peek gave defending champion San Miguel a fight but still loss in five games of the semis. In the Governors Cup, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Chambers retired three games into the Governors Cup. In a simple ceremony, the Aces retired his #20 jersey, becoming the second player in team history to have his number retired.

Duremdes was borrowed by the Philippine National Team in 2002 and Lastimosa made his return to Alaska. The Aces, with Ron Riley and James Head as imports, advanced to the finals of the Governor's Cup against Purefoods. The Aces led 2-0 in the seven game series, but the TJ Hotdogs won the next three games. After Alaska tied it up in Game Six, Purefoods won Game seven to deny the Aces its 11th title. In the Commissioner's Cup, Ajani Williams and Chris Carawell bannered the Aces but was eliminated by Talk N' Text in the semi-finals. Duremdes returned for the Aces in the All-Filipino and made it to the finals. After winning Game 1, the Aces lost the next three games to settle another runner-up finish.

In the 2003 PBA Draft, Alaska shocked the league by trading their superstar, Kenneth Duremdes to the Sta. Lucia Realtors for the fifth pick of the first round. This enabled Alaska to get Brandon Cablay as the team's top draft pick.

The Aces also held the first overall pick in the draft and selected De La Salle University star point guard Mike Cortez, who was considered as the next great point guard in the Alaska franchise's history, following Johnny Abarrientos.

During halftime of their season opening game, Alaska retired Jojo Lastimosa's #6 jersey. During the offseason, Lastimosa announced his retirement after playing 15 seasons in the league. He is currently one of the team's assistant coaches.

In the All-Filipino, Alaska failed in its bid to enter the Finals as they were eliminated by Talk N' Text in a grueling five-game series.

In the Invitational tournament, Alaska had to play in the qualifying round to enter the tournament. The Aces swept the elimination round, winning all four of its games, to make it to the semis. In a one-game showdown, Alaska defeated Red Bull Barako to face Coca Cola in the Finals.

The Tigers won Game One of the series, but the Aces won the next two games to win their 11th PBA title, this time with a different set of players. Brandon Cablay was named as Finals MVP, while Ali Peek won Best Player of the Conference honors.

In the Reinforced Conference, Alaska struggled in the tournament and was eliminated by Duremdes and Sta. Lucia in the quarters.

Alaska paraded former NBA journeyman Galen Young for the 2004 Fiesta Conference. The Aces placed second after the elimination round of the tournament. But, they failed to enter the semis of the said tournament winning only one game in three outings.

In the 2004-05 season, the Aces managed to finished fourth in the qualifying round. After eliminating FedEx in the Wild-Card phase, they were swept by San Miguel in the quarters. During the tournament, Arigo and Peek were shipped to Coca-Cola for Jeffrey Cariaso and Reynel Hugnatan. Bong Hawkins also made his return to the Aces, reuniting him with Cariaso, assistant coach Jojo Lastimosa and Cone.

Alaska hired Leon Derricks for the Fiesta Conference. However, his inconsistent game led to his replacement by former Chicago Bull Dickey Simpkins. The addition of Simpkins helped Alaska climbed into third place at the end of the classification round. The Aces faced San Miguel Beer in the semis. A back injury sustained by Simpkins, after being elbowed in the back by Dorian Pena, prevented him from playing at full strength during the series. Former Alaska Ace, Bryan Gahol, hit the last second shot in Game three to eliminate Alaska from the tournament.

2005-06 season

Prior to the start of the 2005-06 PBA season, the Aces built up their lineup by acquiring national team pool members, Tony Dela Cruz and Rich Alvarez from the disbanding Shell Turbo Chargers. The Aces also acquired the services of former Mobiline and Coca-Cola import Artemus "Tee" McClary for the Fiesta Conference.

After the Aces placed second behind Team Pilipinas in the Brunei Sultan's Cup, with Dela Cruz playing for the said team, the team was considered as one of the top contenders to win the upcoming season.

However, the Aces went on a slide after a good start. After Alaska blowing a 28-point lead and losing to the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, the team went on a downhill since. With McClary's decline starting to show, he was eventually replaced by the 3-point shotting,Odell Bradley, who showed some impressive scoring outputs. However, Alaska still finished seventh in the classification phase with a 7-9 record.

The Aces swept Sta. Lucia in a best-of-three matchup in the wildcard phase before being swept in a best-of-five affair by eventual champion Red Bull Barako.

Weeks before the start of the Philippine Cup, Alaska traded Brandon Cablay to San Miguel in exchange for veteran Nic Belasco. On May 8, 2006, the Aces traded Don Allado to Talk 'N Text for guard Willie Miller and forward John Ferriols. Alaska finished with a 9-7 record in the classifications, thus earning an outright berth in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, the Aces defeated the Coca-Cola Tigers, with former Alaska star Johnny Abarrientos on the squad, 3-1. The opening game of the series saw Alaska winning on a last second three-pointer by Nic Belasco.

In the semi-finals against top-seed Purefoods Chunkee Giants, the Aces led 3-1 and was a win away from a finals berth but failed to win all of the remaining games. Alaska would end the tournament on a winning note, capturing the third place trophy with a 102-95 win over San Miguel, their 12th third-place finish in team history.

[Back to Alaska Main]

Alaska Aces

2007-09-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Alaska Aces Website

Joined: 1986
History:
Alaska Air Force: 1980s
Hills Bros. Coffee Kings: 1987
Alaska Milkmen: 1990s-2000
Alaska Aces: 2000-Present
Team colors: Red and white
Company: Alaska Mlik Corp.
Head coach: Tim Cone
Championships: 11 (1991 Third Conference, 1994 Governor's, 1995 Governor's, 1996 All-Filipino, 1996 Commissioner's, 1996 Governor's, 1997 Governor's, 1998 All-Filipino, 1998 Commissioner's, 2000 All-Filipino, 2007 Fiesta)
2003 Invitational (Special tournament)

Other Infos

History
2006-07
2007-08
Coaches, Mascot, Retired Numbers
Current Roster

* For more Team and Player Informations, visit their website: click here

* For more

"Marvelous" Marvin Cruz

2007-09-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Name: Marvin Lu-Cruz
Born: December 31, 1985
Monicker: Marvelous Marvin
Height: 5'8"
Position: Point guard
College: University of the Philippines-Diliman
Draft: 14th over-all dafted by Air21 Express.

[Back to Air21 Roster]

JC "The Rocket" Intal

2007-09-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Name: John Christopher Intal
Position: Forward
Nickname: The Rocket
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Born: November 18, 1983 Quezon City, Philippines
College: Ateneo de Manila University
Draft: 4th overall, 2007 Air21 Express
Pro career: 2007–present
Awards: PBL Slamdunk Champion (2003),UAAP Most imrpoved player (2004),UAAP Mythical First Team: 2006

[Back to Air21 Roster]

Mark Telan

2007-09-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

Name: Mark Clemence Telan
Birthday: Jan. 12, 1976
Height: 6'7 Weight: 215
Years as a Pro: 7
Jersey number: 13
College: De La Salle University (1993-97) High school: Mapua Institute of Technology
Year drafted: One of the six players brought by the Tanduay franchise in 1999
Teams: Tanduay (1999-2000), Shell (2000-2002), Talk N' Text (2002-2006), Air21 (2006).

Homer Se

2007-09-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Name: Homer Se
Position: Center
Nickname: Mher
Jersey#: 16
Monicker:
Height: 6'5"
Birthday: 5/31/77
Weight: 205 lbs.

Year Drafted: 2001
Team: Air 21
Selected as Pick#: 5
Round/Number:

Current Address: #44 Carnation St. Bautista Ville Rosario Pasig City
Civil Status: Single
Religion: Catholic

Basketball Experience:
College:
San Sebastian/ 1998/ Manila

MBA:
Cebu Gems /1999-2001

PBA:
2001 Red Bull
2005 Air 21

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Arwind Santos

2007-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Arwind Santos
Position: small forward/ power forward
Nickname:
Jersey#: 29
Monicker:
Height: 6'4"

Year Drafted: 2006 (2nd pick overall first round Air21)

Basketball Experience:
Far Eastern University (UAAP two-time MVP)

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Aris Dimaunahan

2007-09-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Aries Dimaunahan
Position: Point Guard
Birthday: March 21, 1978 Height: 6'0"
Hometown: Lipa, Batangas

School: UST (But no UAAP experience)
Year Drafted: 31st pick by Ginebra in 2002 (3rd round overall)

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Garry "Mr. Energy" David

2007-09-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Name: Gary David
Position: Guard
Nickname: Gary/Gar
Jersey#: 20
Monicker: Mr. Energy
Height: 6'2"
Birthday: July 13, 1978
Weight: 175 lbs.

Year Drafted: January 2004
Team: Coca-Cola Tigers
Selected as Pick#: 10
Round/Number: 1

Current Address: #6B Davao St. Bago Bantay QC
Civil Status:
Religion: Catholic
Hobbies: Playing Basketball/Watching TV
Name of wife : Jenny Rose David
Children's Name
Lian Candle Maxene S. David

Basketball Experience:

College:
Lyceum of the Phils./Mythical Selection

MBA/PBL:
Montaña Pawnshop/MVP/MostImproved Player/Mythical Selection

PBA:
Coca-Cola Tigers/ 2004-2005
Air 21 Express/ 2005

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Wynne "The Snatcher" Arboleda

2007-09-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Name: Wynne Arboleda
Position:Guard
Jersey#: 19
Monicker:The Snatcher
Height: 5' 9"
Birthday:28 Nov. 1976

Year Drafted: A/N
Team: A/N
Selected as Pick#: A/N
Round/Number: A/N

Civil Status: Married
Religion: Catholic
Name of wife: April
Children's Name/Age Andrea Rose 3

Basketball Experience:

College:
Panay Technological College: 1993/2nd place
MLQU: 1994/Champion/MVP

MBA:
Laguna Lakers: 1998
Laguna Lakers: 1999/Most Improved Player
Laguna Lakers: 2000

PBA:
2000 Pop Cola
2001 Tanduay
2002 FEDEX
2003 FEDEX

[Back to Air21 Roster]

2007-09-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Current roster

Pos. No. Player
G 6 Marvin Cruz (DP)
F 7 JC Intal (DP)
F 9 Niño Canaleta
F 18 Doug Kramer (DP)
G 19 Wynne Arboleda
G 20 Gary David
F 29 Arwind Santos
F 33 Ranidel de Ocampo
G 88 Aries Dimaunahan
F 99 Homer Se
G 20 Gary David

[Back to Air21 Main]

2007-09-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Coaches

* Derrick Pumaren (2002-2003)
* Bonnie Garcia (2003-2004)
* Joe Lipa (2004-2005)
* Bong Ramos (2005)
* Bo Perasol (2005-Present)

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2007-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

2006-07

In the offseason, the Express acquired Aries Dimaunahan and Ervin Sotto from the Ginebra as part of a huge three-team trade along with the Coca-Cola Tigers. In the 2006 PBA Draft, Air21 selected Arwind Santos of the FEU Tamaraws and the PBL's Magnolia Ice Cream with the second overall pick. Stephen Padilla and Bruce Dacia's contract were not renewed by the team.

After a so-so performance at the Philippine Cup, the Express eked out a 7-11 record, good enough for a return trip to the wildcard phase. Needing to sweep all of the games in order to force a playoff for a quarterfinal berth, the Express defeated all wildcard teams. In the elimination game against Sta. Lucia, the Express came up short as they were beaten 121-118 via overtime.

Before the start of the wildcard phase, Air21 sent Yancy de Ocampo and Leo Avenido to Talk N Text for rookies Mark Andaya and Abby Santos plus future draft picks.

Air21 had talks with former Senator and the PBA's Living Legend Robert Jaworski to either accept a capacity within the team or as head coach before his beg prior to the start of the Fiesta Conference.

Still, the Express finished with a 10-8 record for fifth place in the standings with Shawn Daniels as import. At one point, Air21 was 7-3 before losing five of their last eight games, before beating San Miguel in a one-game playoff for the third outright quarterfinals berth.

The Talk N' Text Phone Pals defeated them in the quarters in a full three-game series, despite the Express' Game 1 victory.

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Nino "KG' Canaleta

2007-09-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Name: Rommel Niño Canaleta
Position: Forward
Nickname: KG
Jersey#: 9
Monicker: Slam Dunk King
Height: 6'6"
Birthday: Feb. 12, 1982
Weight: 190 lbs.

Year Drafted: 2005
Team: Air21
Selected as Pick#: 6
Round/Number: 1st round # 6 pick
Current Address: Woodridge Subd. Las Piñas City
Civil Status: Single

Basketball Experince

College: UE: 2002-2005: 3 time Slam dunk champ, All-Star
PBL: Blu Star: 2003-2004: Slam Dunk Champ
PBA: Air 21: 2005: Slam Dunk Champ, Mr. All Star

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Air 21 Express

2007-09-10T01:49:00.000-07:00

Air 21 Express Website

About the Team
Joined PBA: 2002
FedEx Express: 2002-2005
Air21 Express: 2005-present
Team colors: Indigo and white
Company: Airfrieght 2100, Inc.
Head coach: Bo Perasol
Championships: none

Other Infos

2006-07
Coaches
Current Roster

* For more Team and Player Informations, visit their website: click here

Current PBA Teams

2007-09-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

Air 21 Express
Alaska Aces
Baranggay Ginebra Kings
Coca-cola Tigers
Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants
Red Bull Barako
San Miguel Beermen
Sta. Lucia Realtors
Talk N' Text Phone Pals
Welcoat Dragons