(4th of nine parts)
Alvin Patrimonio, before he became known as the Captain, took me back to the days of the Seoul Asian Games circa ‘86, where bronze medals had the same worth as Gold.
The former Mapua King Cardinal shared his on and off-the-court travails under the guidance of the 80s game-changer of a coach, University of the Philippines’, Jose “Joe” Lipa, Jr.
The few hours spent with the PBA’s face for two decades were humbling at best.
The owner of jersey no. 16 fondly recalled stuff I could only read on the pages of Sports Weekly and Sports Flash.
Having spent only a few hours with Purefoods team manager, I have learned he was and still is, good as advertised and real as real could get from the press releases written about him.
Talked about his long tube socks, 0-16 NCAA record during his first two years then coming back for his 3rd and 4th seasons as the league’s back-to-back MVP, his first ever PABL Championship with Yco, Asics Tiger hi-tops, those Pro-Specs jerseys, the South Korean brand, the ladies from Seoul who flocked to him during the Seoul games, his try-out experiences, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum caretaker and banana cue vendor, his Kaypee and Swatch endorsement deals, and of course, Coach Joe.
His narrative was the stuff of legends, and it has to be shared with any evolving student of the game across all levels, man.
When Quinito Henson, gave him his moniker “Captain Lion Heart”, it gave this writer the greatest cringe and face-palm moments combined, which to me was really cheesy. But after talking to the man face to face, I became a believer. Alvin Patrimonio is all heart, all those years, all the time.
A little over a month prior to hosting the 1986 Asian Youth Basketball Confederation (now known as FIBA Asia U19) title defense in the City of Manila, amateur basketball was rocked to its very core when local baseball great Filemon “Boy” Codinera, pulled out his sons Jerry and Harmon from playing in the tournament due to being over the age limit set by FIBA.
The incident caused a mainstream media hailstorm which was tri-media fodder in those days. Public outcry for fielding ineligible players drew traction since winds of change blew over the nation that February and “social change” was the order of the day in putting a stop to the pervading culture of sending fully developed “19U” players.
Suddenly the word “integrity” was mentioned in the same sentence as the phrase “youth basketball”.
Similar to a stack of dominoes, the likes of Allan Caidic and the rest of the team followed suit, which left Coach Joe Lipa without a team to begin with.
The former sports association for basketball, Basketball Association of the Phils. head honchos Lito “Spar” Puyat and his dependable lieutenant, Mauricio “Moying” Martelino dialled the number of Coach Joe Lipa and gave the enigmatic mentor his marching orders to form a competitive team in two weeks.
This is the squad he came up with, Nelson Asaytono, Joey Guanio, Eric Reyes, Mar Anthony Magada, Gilbert Reyes, Benjie Paras, Moses Mulong Orillosa
Bobby Jose, Zaldy Realubit, Paul Alvarez, Arnold Adlawan, and Dickie Bachmann
Twice-a-day practice sessions were the only option left to do, which this bunch did faithfully. The result was a 1st-Runner-up finish against mighty Red China. The tournament was Benjie Paras’ coming out party on the international stage. Imagine if Coach Joe and his boys prepared a little longer.
(To be continued)
(Sonny “Peter” Regalado Lopez, is currently a player development coach, marketing communications consultant and book author. He collaborated with coach Joe Lipa in publishing Basketball 101, a book that aims to coach the coaches and provide reference material for Physical Education teachers in the K to 12 curricula. The 53-year-old Lopez is a San Beda College, Manila, BSC Marketing Management graduate, who currently is working on publishing the memoirs of great coaches Joe Lipa, SJLC’s Larry Albano, and San Beda’s, late Edmundo ‘Ato’ Badolato, all in coffee table book format.)