FIRST ROUND
1 | SONNY CABATU | SHELL AZODRIN BUGBUSTERS
12 SEASONS | 454 GAMES | 6.2PPG & 5.4RPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL, PRESTO, PUREFOODS, SWIFT, GINEBRA
ACHIEVEMENTS | 1,000 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS
Sonny Cabatu and his wonderful mustache and his signature takbong mayaman backpedal is perhaps the
most successful player in his draft class and this says a lot. It’s hard for a
rookie to rule a squad especially if his team is the direct lineage of the
Crispa Redmanizers and his teammates include Philip Cezar, Bogs Adornado and
Bernie Fabiosa. Anyway, Cabatu bounced from team to team and has since served
as the main backup to peeps like Cezar, Jerry Codinera, and Manny Victorino. He
also had an all-star stint while playing for the pre-Marlou Aquino Ginebra
squad.
2 | ONCHIE DELA CRUZ | TANDUAY RHUM MAKERS
10 SEASONS | 351 GAMES | 6.7PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | TANDUAY, PRESTO, SHELL
Got
to be honest with you. I saw Onchie Dela Cruz play in Purefoods but I guess
it’s at the tail end of his career. Wait. Was it Onchie Dela Cruz, Bai
Cristobal or Tony Dela Cerna? I ALWAYS GET THESE THREE MIXED UP! Maybe it’s
because I never got to see him at his best – when he served as Willie Generalao’s
chief backup in Tanduay when they almost won a grand slam in 1986. Anyway, Dela
Cruz also saw action in Presto and Shell… as well as in some Ronnie Ricketts
movies as either a cop or a public utility vehicle driver.
3 | TEDDY ALFARERO | MAGNOLIA ICE CREAM MAKERS
4 SEASONS | 64 GAMES | 1.7PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | HILLS BROS, TIVOLI
I
was born in 1982 and I never remembered him play… but I do remember seeing him
on Wish Ko Lang. It sucks that a player who traced his pre-PBA gameplay with
the Northern Consolidated Cement cadet pool would find himself in this
spot.
4 | NONI ROBLES | MANILA BEER BREWMASTERS
3 SEASONS | 76 GAMES | 3.4PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | MANILA BEER, PRESTO
I saw Noni Robles play for Great Taste… backing up Allan
Caidic… but I don’t remember if he wore their Presto colors. Robles would have
been a bust because it took him a season before he got to see action for the
Manila Beer Brewmasters. After Manila Beer was disbanded, Robles signed with
Great Taste and this is where he got his first and only PBA title.
5 | REY PEREZ | GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL
2 SEASONS | 50 GAMES | 3.7PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | GINEBRA
I was born in 1982 and I never remembered him play.
6 | LEO ISAAC | GREAT TASTE COFFEE MAKERS
9 SEASONS | 366 GAMES | 6.9PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL, GINEBRA
SECOND ROUND
7 | ROMY ANG | SHELL AZODRIN BUGBUSTERS
5 SEASONS | 131 GAMES | 3.4PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL
I was born in 1982 and I never remembered him play.
8 | ALDO PEREZ | MANILA BEER BREWMASTERS
4 SEASONS | 87 GAMES | 3.4PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL, PRESTO
I was born in 1982 and I never remembered him play.
THIRD ROUND
9 | MENARDO JUBINAL | SHELL AZODRIN BUGBUSTERS
2 SEASONS | 38 GAMES | 2.4PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL
I was born in 1982 and I never remembered him play.
FOURTH ROUND
10 | LEO AUSTRIA | SHELL AZODRIN BUGBUSTERS
9 SEASONS | 394 GAMES | 4.5PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | SHELL, PEPSI
It’s arguable if Leo Austria is an awesome coach or a lucky
coach. I see him as extreeeeemely underrated because you can’t press down those
many egos if you’re a patsy. That being said, Austria lucked out as the only
fourth-rounder to win the Rookie of the Year award. His playing career never
really soared to great heights as he played behind Fabiosa at the start and
Ronnie Magsanoc during The Point Laureate’s prime. He ended his career with
Pepsi but would return to coach Shell before moving to other coaching
opportunities that peaked during his time in San Miguel.
FIFTH ROUND
11 | TOTOY MARQUEZ | SHELL AZODRIN BUGBUSTERS
9 SEASONS | 281 GAMES | 7.1PPG
TEAMS PLAYED | PUREFOODS, PRESTO, SHELL
Totoy Marquez as a fifth-rounder is kind of like how we see
Peter June Simon’s draft number. Joey Marquez’s baby bro is a cross between
Ronald Tubid and the aforementioned Simon. The only difference between these three
is that people never saw Marquez as a starter and his career is quite short. Writing
this, I guess Tubid could have remembered this guy when he wore number 71.
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