PBA Top Rookie Picks: The good, the bad and the outstanding (Part 2)

Second of three parts Zandro 'Jun' Limpot (1993) – When Sta. Lucia bought the old Great Taste/Presto franchise of the Gokongwei family, the Exequiel Robles-owned squad set its sights on acquiring a franchise player. Jun Limpot, the most versatile big man of Class '93, was definitely the best choice for the Realtors. He was chosen from among a list of talented players that included Victor Pablo and Johnny Abarrientos. Limpot was a big catch — a 6-foot-6 forward who had the speed of a natural wingman, the dribbling skills of a guard, and athleticism hardly seen among local frontliners. With Allan Caidic being shipped off before the start of the 1993 PBA season, the Realtors turned to their prized rookie Limpot as the anchor of the team's offense, alongside several holdovers from Presto such as Vergel Meneses, Bong Hawkins and Gerry Esplana. Limpot was the runaway winner for the ROY award, and for the next two years, would continue to become the focal point of the team's offense. A breakthrough in Limpot's career came in 1995. He was offered a hefty P24-million, four-year contract by Pepsi, which was matched by his mother squad, making him the highest-paid player at that time. In 1998, he was chosen as one of the members of the Centennial Team that placed third in the Bangkok Asian Games. After seven years without a championship, Sta. Lucia traded Limpot to Ginebra for 6-foot-9 beanpole Marlou Aquino in 2000. But Limpot would wait until his final playing year before winning that elusive PBA title when he helped Purefoods snatch the 2005-2006 Philippine Cup before retiring after the league's 31st season. Noli Locsin (1994) – Barangay Ginebra, the league's most popular team, was looking to resurrect its franchise. The Gin Kings undoubtedly had the biggest number of followers in the PBA, but they had losing seasons in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, a 6-foot-3, wide-bodied forward named Noli Locsin was selected first overall by Ginebra, an undersized and aging squad that was being left behind by its rivals. Locsin began to provide the muscle, but the Gin Kings still lacked the firepower, and they won only 12 of 32 games in 1994. The man known as 'The Tank' couldn't do it by his lonesome, and he waited two more years before the much-needed help came. Locsin was an integral part of the Gin Kings' title conquest of the 1997 Commissioners Cup. When Robert Jaworski resigned as playing coach of the Gin Kings, the team unraveled a different philosophy under new mentor Allan Cadic, who succeeded interim mentor Rino Salazar in Year 2000. Part of the changes made by Ginebra that season was to trade Locsin to Pop Cola for Vergel Meneses. Locsin became a journeyman from there. Dennis Espino (1995) – The tandem of Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codiñera had been lording it over the rest of PBA frontliners from the late '80s to early '90s. Sta. Lucia couldn't wait long to pick up somebody who could team up with its franchise player Limpot. So when the Realtors picked up 6-foot-5 slotman Dennis Espino from University of Santo Tomas, basketball experts anticipated a rivalry up front. Although Espino's debut was delayed when he suffered a nose injury in an exhibition game held in the Middle East, he quickly made his presence felt the moment he wore the Realtors' green and white jersey and paired perfectly with Limpot. But the Realtors were just a consistent fixture in the semifinals and almost always ended up in third place behind teams such as Purefoods, San Miguel Beer, Alaska and/or Sunkist/Swift. Espino lost the Rookie of the Year race to another stellar performer, Jeff Cariaso of Alaska Milk, as the latter's squad entered the finals in all three conferences that season. When Limpot was traded for Marlou Aquino, Sta. Lucia's leadership mantle was passed on to Espino. The two new frontline partners would quickly carry their team to their first finals appearance, but the Realtors lost to the Beermen in five games of the Commissioner's Cup. The following year, along with young Turks Paolo Mendoza and Gerard Francisco and a do-it-all import named Damian Owens, Espino and Aquino helped the Realtors wipe out eight years of frustration and finally win their first ever title by beating the Beermen in six games of the Governors Cup finals. In 2002, another explosive player was added to the mix – former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kenneth Duremdes. The move turned out to be disastrous for the Realtors as they struggled in the next five seasons. The Realtors' fortunes changed when they selected Fil-Am forward Kelly Williams as the top overall pick in the 2006-07 season. They also traded once controversial player Alex Cabagnot and Duremdes, and were able to acquire Dennis Miranda and another collegiate standout, Joseph Yeo. Ryan Reyes, chosen as the Realtors' first-round pick the following season, was added to the mix, and the grizzled veteran Espino suddenly found himself surrounded by defensive players like Bitoy Omolon and Reyes, spitfire guards Miranda and Yeo, and fellow veteran Aquino. But it was Espino, the team captain, who responded to the challenge in the 2007-2008 All-Filipino Cup finals, as he brought out his A-game in the deciding seventh game to reward Sta. Lucia with another championship. The economic pinch took its toll, forcing Sta. Lucia to trade its marquee players, including Espino, in the 2008-2009 season, with the Pampanga native being shipped to Coca-Cola. To date, Espino remains one of the most durable frontliners in the league, as he will play his 16th season with the Powerade Tigers beginning on October 3. he has also been a many-time national team member. Marlou Aquino (1996) -- He entered the PBA tasked to resurrect Ginebra's winning tradition. He had the size, the game, and the promise. He was like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in disguise – minus the graceful skyhook -- when he made his way to the big league in 1996. Yes, the 6-foot-9 "Skyscraper" changed the outlook of the Gin Kings, the most popular team in the league coached by the game's most popular player – Robert Jaworski. Together with fellow newcomer Bal David and up-and-coming superstars Locsin and Vince Hizon, Aquino made the Gin Kings instant title contenders. Proof of that was Ginebra's appearance in the 1996 Governors Cup finals against the Alaska Milkmen. The latter went on however to complete the league's last Grand Slam, joining the fabled Crispa Redmanizers and the San Miguel Beermen as the only teams ever to accomplish the feat. But the following season, Aquino and the Gin Kings, then known as the Gordon's Gin Boars, bounced back strong and entered the championship round in the first two conferences of 2007. They lost in six games to Purefoods in the All-Filipino Conference, but were able to vent their ire against the Milkmen in the Commissioner's Cup. Aquino's time as a Ginebra superstar ended when he was traded for Sta. Lucia's Jun Limpot. As a Realtor, Aquino played second fiddle to Espino, and his game would suddenly diminish, especially after winning his first championship with his new squad. There were times the former Adamson University King Falcons' game was criticized for "lack of passion to win." Now playing at the twilight of his career, Aquino has been picked up by Meralco, which bought the old Sta. Lucia franchise. But whether the cager still has the moves to turn things around, make a good impression with his new squad, and stay on in the league remain to be seen. Andy Seigle (1997) – Andy Seigle was a young player groomed to become the face of a young Mobiline franchise. He wasn't an impact player, but he certainly got the job done for the Cellulars, making him the hands-down choice as Rookie of the Year in 1997. The following year, he was tapped for the RP Centennial squad where he teamed up with Aquino, Espino, Limpot, Patrimonio and EJ Feihl. With his performance in his first two years boosting his stock, Seigle was traded for Jerry Codiñera of Purefoods in 1999. That trade ended the Codiñera-Patrimonio partnership, which was regarded as one of the best frontline combinations in the PBA. It broke the hearts of millions of Purefoods fans who had seen the two superstars win championships and individual accolades under one team. But there was a better reason why Purefoods tapped Seigle. For one, the invasion of Filipino-foreign cagers had certainly made life difficult for guys like Patrimonio and Codiñera, who had ruled the shaded area for several years, but started to struggle against younger and bigger opponents. Two years after the trade, Purefoods appeared to benefit with the one-on-one swap between Codiñera and Seigle. But the projected next dominant big man was slowed down by injuries the following years, and would find himself ending his career earlier than expected. Seigle last saw action for Ginebra, but has never been quite the same as in his early years. Danny Ildefonso (1998) -- Did Shell regret the move of trading Danny Ildefonso for Noy Castillo? The Turbochargers made a bold move during the 1998 Rookie Draft when they traded Ildefonso, then a collegiate standout and a former national team player, for Castillo, who played college ball at The Citadel in the U.S. Ildefonso, a 6-foot-5 find from National University, gave the San Miguel Beermen, much-needed inside presence. But the pride of Pangasinan waited for his turn to finally become the focal point of his new team's offense. When Nelson Asayotono was traded to Pop Cola, Ildefonso quickly rose to stardom. He became the primary option at the post, and together with Fil-Ams Danny Seigle and Nic Belasco,formed the Beermen's deadly frontline triumvirate. Ildefonso won back-to-back MVP awards in 2000 and 2001 and became one of the main reasons why the Beermen dominated the 1999 to 2001 seasons when the SMB franchise captured five championships. In 2002, he was named to the all-pro national squad that placed fourth in the Busan Asian Games basketball event, Then he helped the Beermen in winning the 2005 Fiesta Conference over the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. A knee injury kept Ildefonso out of action for the next few years, and he found himself spending more time on the bench even when he was reactivated. Sonny Alvarado (1999) – Earl "Sonny" Alvarado was one of those players who entered the league in 1999 along with several big Fil-foreign names like Asi Taulava, Eric Menk and Danny Seigle, among others. Alvarado and Menk quickly turned the young Tanduay franchise, coached by Alfrancis Chua and owned by Bong Tan, into a serious title contender. His game was impeccable and he made the headlines as fast as any other big names that had entered the big league. It turned out however that Alvarado wouldn't only make the headlines of the sports pages, but also the front pages, this after submitting fake documents. Alvarado was found to be a 'Fil-Sham' along with several others which included Al Segova of Purefoods and Rob Parker of Sta. Lucia. They were all barred from playing in the PBA. Worse, Alvarado was even charged with falsifying his documents, with one of the PBA's longest-serving employees reputedly acting as a conduit for this act of fraud. "Because he's a Fil-Sham, I would consider him as the biggest failure among the top overall rookie picks in the PBA," says Atty. Percival Flores, resident basketball historian of MYPBA, a website rich in basketball information. "It's unfortunate this thing happened. I believe this also contributed to the downfall of the PBA in terms of following and gate receipts," adds Jay P. Mercado, also of MYPBA. All records posted by the 'Fil-Shams' will be removed from the PBA history books. Paolo Mendoza (2000) – Several basketball experts considered Paolo Mendoza as one of those flops among top overall rookie picks. But Mendoza came from a batch with a lean crop of talented rookies. A deadshot big guard in his amateur and collegiate days, Mendoza was once the record holder for most points in a single game while playing for the University of the Philippines Integrated School (69 points). He scored a season-high 49 points while playing for the Maroons during the 1997 UAAP season. He built a reputation as a scorer in his amateur days, but was forced to play the point guard spot in the PBA. His adjustment to his new role came with ease, and he quickly became the Realtors' dependable guard during the team's losing finals campaign against the San Miguel Beermen in his rookie season. The following year, Mendoza played a pivotal role in the Realtors' vengeful 4-1 victory over the Beermen in the Governors Cup finals. When Alex Cabagnot came during the 2004 season, Mendoza was relegated to the role of backup point guard, and continued as such when Dennis Miranda entered the fray three seasons later. But Mendoza became a member of Sta. Lucia's two championship squads, the last in the 2007-2008 season when the Realtors defeated the favored Purefoods Giants in a seven-game series. When the Realtors were forced to unload one marquee player after another, Mendoza was traded to the Coca-Cola Tigers in the latter stretch of the 2009-2010 season. - JVP/KY, GMANews.TV