Ligang Labas

Tony Harris, Michael Hackett, Bobby Parks, Andy Fields, Byron Snake Jones, David Thirdkill, Rob Williams, and Larry McNeil were some of the great imports who graced our shores. Some of them may be recognizable to you if you followed Pinoy hoops intently, while others may be alien to you. If you lived in the 80s, you probably remember the man who revolutionized Philippine basketball – Billy Ray Bates a.k.a "The Black Superman". The 6-3 210-pound Bates led Crispa to its second grandslam in 1983. He was also responsible in Ginebra’s title-winning bid in the 1986 Open Conference in tandem with Michael Hackett. To some, he was the most exciting, most explosive import to ever play in the country. To others, he was god who just assumed human form to play the game of hoops and entertain us. He was everything an import should be. Despite his achievements on the basketball court, there was something that kept Bates from becoming a much bigger star. We look back and examine the stuff th...

The Crispa Redmanizers was already a potent offensive crew and probably didn't even need an import to compete with the rest of the league but when Billy Ray Bates, a crack veteran of four NBA campaigns, decided to hook up with them, it was a dominant pairing that would touched on a grandslam bid in 1983. Not since the human fly catcher, that wizard of defense, Cyrus Mann, had a Crispa import caught the fancy of the PBA gallery. Bates was a virtual one-man show. He was shooting from deep threes, sinking almost impossible shots, dunking over people and simply mesmerized fanatics with his derring-dos and exciting brand of play that was never seen before in local hoops circuit as he led the Redmanizers to a 120-119 decision over the Great Taste Discoverers before an enthralled turnout at the Big Dome. It was a smashing debut for the 6-3 then 26-year-old NBA veteran and the individual statistics that he amassed in the course of a game-long brilliance on the hardcourt told it all. Provin...

T here is a full-blooded Filipino point guard currently strutting his wares in the US NCAA. His name is  Jeff Dosado  a.k.a.  “3D” . He got the nickname because of his propensity for hitting the  3  ball with deadly accuracy and for dishing  d imes. He’s 5-9 165 lbs and starts for the  American International College  Yellow Jackets, a division II school in the US competing in the tough Northeast-10 Conference, which is the same school that produced ex-NBA player Mario Elie and University of Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun. Jeff, 25, is hoping to follow the footsteps of crack Fil-Am guards Jimmy Alapag, Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa who have made their respective marks in the PBA. He plans to apply for the draft next year if plans don’t miscarry. Jeff was born on July 28, 1982 in Montreal, Quebec to parents Nelson and Nenette Dosado. His father Nelson hails from Pototan, Iloilo while his mother Nenette traces her roots to San Fernando, Pam...

In my frequent travels to the land of great books and not so great books, one particular piece caught my attention. No, it was not a special swimsuit edition by Sports Illustrated (but I like what you’re thinking). The book was sealed and had an old basketball picture on its cover. It was dubbed “The Legends and Heroes of Philippine Basketball”, a masterpiece by Christian Bocobo and renowned journalist Beth Celis. I was hesitant to buy the book at first because of its hefty price. It is prized P1200.00 which is already quite exorbitant for an average Filipino who earns minimum wage. If you are someone who shuns highly-expensive books and frequents book sales and clearance sales where most items are sold half its previous price, then this book is not for you. You’re probably better off lending from a public library (if it is available) or from neighbors who have recently purchased it. But if you are one super-duper basketball fanatic like me who lives and breathes hoops and eats rims an...