BEYOND THE GAME

By BRIAN YALUNG

PBA legends, the players who lorded it on the hardwood decades ago, gathered once more. After initially starting it out with players from Toyota and Crispa, more faces were around when another reunion was set on Friday, April 19, at the Alfresco Covered Lounge in Makati.

Honestly, it was tough to put into writing the aura this gathering had. I needed to listen to some songs to put my thoughts in place, listening to the tunes of the Four Seasons, “Oh, What a Night!” and Paul Anka’s “Times of Your Life.”

As for the roll call, joining “Osbok” and Cortez were the regular attendees. That included Rodolfo “Ompong” Segura, Oscar Rocha, Ulysees Rodriguez, Ed Cordero Edward Camus, Nic Bulaong and Rollie Marcelo.

Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr. also came early but was unable to stay long.

Former PBA coach Arlene Rodriguez was also in attendance, always present each time to accompany his brother Ulysses.

The regulars who were sorely missed were Ramon “El Presidente” Fernandez, Emerito Legaspi, Leopoldo “Pol” Herrera, Joseph Galonga and Roberto Concepcion.

On the Crispa side, Fortunato “Atoy” Co Jr. was around once more and spiced up the evening. Alfredo "Freddie" Hubalde was also around although the surprising new faces were Federico “Padim” Israel and Luis “Tito” Varela.

Unable to make it for the Redmanizers were Philip Cezar and William “Bogs” Adornado.

Honoring the 1972-74 PH cage team

Rosalio “Yoyong” Martires was around anew, making sure to add life to the occasion. Martires was among the former RP national team players who represented the Philippines from 1972-74.

Also present were other members of the RP national Philippine team that played were Marte Samson and former PBA coach Jimmy Mariano.

An Olympian who was also invited but was not able to make it was Freddie Webb.

Aside from the swelling gathering of basketball greats, the night was also meant to recognize “An Eternity of Basketball,” a group composed of Noel Zarate, Atty. Charlie Cuna, Sid Ventura and Jay Mercado for their efforts in citing the relevance of past basketball greats.

It was a memorable night with Co and Martires providing some fun moments, reminiscing and recalling the good old days.

Alongside these greats were select people who are familiar and have grown close to this elite group of cage greats. Silverio and Cortez continue to uphold the tradition, a gathering that has been regularly held over the past months.

Cortez admits that the group is constantly growing, not limited to former Toyota and Crispa players. With the inclusion of Olympians, one can only ponder who else will grace the current cast to recall and reminisce the good old days of Philippine basketball.