The flip side of Alex Crisano

Tattooed Alex Crisano, standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 240 pounds, would easily intimidate people on or off the basketball court. Even Crisano’s publicized roller-coaster relationship with former girlfriend Ethel Booba certainly didn't help improve his image, as fans saw the couple have public meltdowns.

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) cager Crisano, who’ll be turning 34 this month, was even involved in several controversial issues one of which is an alleged sex video with his former flame. But the self-confessed former "Bad Boy," who is also known for his on-court antics, has a softer and lighter side saying that he wants people to see and know more of. "Sure, I am a hard-nosed defender in the PBA and did some bad things in the past but aside from that, I’m actually a cool guy," said Crisano, who started his professional basketball career in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). "I want people to see [the] other side of me. [I want them to know] that I also have a softer side. I even helped people who were victims of typhoon Ondoy but the media did not cover it. But if I do something wrong, [it gets attention right away]," added Crisano. "I made mistakes but, hey, who here does not make mistakes? I’ve learned from those mistakes. That’s how it is in life. You make mistakes and you learn from those mistakes in order to come out as a better person," added Crisano. Crisano, who also had a brief stint with Talk ‘N Text, now plays for Barako Bull wearing jersey number 43 for the Energy Boosters. MetroBall as stepping stone The charismatic Crisano teamed up with Willie Miller playing for then expansion team Nueva Ecija Patriots. He was later traded to the Pangasinan Waves and later moved on to play for the Ginebra Kings in the PBA in 2000. Crisano, who was a crowd favorite for his energetic playing style, said starting his basketball career in the MBA prepared him for the PBA. "I had a great experience in the MBA. We’re always on the road, playing in different provinces or at times we’re at our home court enjoying the crowd support. "The fans' reaction in the MBA prepared me for the PBA. In the MBA, rocks were thrown at me, it can get rowdy sometimes and I wish I was back again playing in the MBA." Though Barako Bull was given the boot in the ongoing Philippine Cup, Crisano said it was a memorable season for the Boosters, who finished the all-Filipino conference at the tail-end of the standings with a 3-15 record. "It was still a good season for us though we failed in our final push to earn a spot in the wild card phase," said Crisano, who scored 19 points in the Boosters’ 91-89 loss to the Coca-Cola Tigers in their final game. Second father Crisano said the late Barako Bull team manager Tony Chua was like a father to him. "I really had a lot of respect for Mr. Chua. He was a second father to me and I felt like I was a son to him. That’s why I was really sad when I found out he died during the typhoon," said Crisano. Chua drowned in flash floods at the height of typhoon Ondoy last year while on his way home in Filinvest along Marcos Highway in Antipolo, according to reports. "We talked on a lot of things like how to improve the team. He could have done more for the team and Philippine basketball if he was still alive." Right now, Crisano is enjoying the offseason and busies himself recording a rap album that will be launched this year. Rapper Andrew E. is one of his collaborators in the album titled Bullet-Hate Proof. "It’s just a collection of the things that I learned growing up and my journey from New York to Manila," he revealed. – Jon Perez, OL/FVI, GMANews.TV