Sta. Lucia Realtors
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| Sta. Lucia Realtors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Joined | 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | Sta. Lucia Realtors 1993-present |
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| Team colors | Green and white | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Company | Sta. Lucia Realty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Alfrancis Chua | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championships | 1 (2001 Governor's) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Sta. Lucia Realtors (SLR) is a Philippine Basketball Association team. It is coached by Alfrancis Chua.
The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a number of championships. Sta. Lucia Realty, a real estate corporation, bought the franchise in 1993.
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[edit] History
[edit] Great Taste/Presto/Tivoli
Great Taste was a charter member of the PBA back in 1975, joining eight other teams in forming the first professional basketball league in Asia.
The Coffeemakers best years were during the mid-1980s. Great Taste had Fil-American Ricardo Brown as the 1985 Most Valuable Player along with former Crispa standouts Atoy Co, Bernie Fabiosa and Philip Cezar and former Toyota rival Abe King. Amateur star Allan Caidic joined the team in 1987 to form a strong nucleus under former Redmanizer tactician, the great Baby Dalupan. From 1985 to 1987, the Coffeemakers won three PBA titles (1985 Open, All-Filipino and 1987 All-Filipino).
Before the end of the 1980s, Great Taste used the Tivoli Milk or Presto Tivoli monicker. By 1990, Presto Tivoli, under former national team member Jimmy Mariano, won the All-Filipino Conference by defeating Purefoods in seven games with Triggerman Allan Caidic winning the prestigious Most Valuable Player award.
In 1991, Allan Caidic, scored 79 points with 17 three-pointers in a game against Añejo on November 21, 1991, it was one of the best ever individual performance in the history.
Before the end of 1992, Presto management announced the sale of the franchise and by 1993 PBA season, Sta. Lucia Realty bought the franchise rights. Sta. Lucia was considered as a new PBA team, so therefore the past records and history of the Gokongwei franchise were not included in Sta. Lucia's history.
[edit] PBL Days
Sta. Lucia's contribution can be traced back to the Philippine Basketball League during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Marlou Aquino once was a member of the Sta. Lucia PBL team. Afterwards, Sta. Lucia moved up to the pros to take over the old Presto team.
[edit] String of third place finishes
Prior to the start of the season, Caidic moved to San Miguel Beer, leaving the Realtors with a few holdovers from the old Presto lineup including Vergel Meneses, Bong Hawkins (later traded to Swift and Alaska, respectively) and Gerry Esplana.
But, Sta. Lucia had the top pick in the draft and selected amateur star Zandro "Jun" Limpot of De La Salle University-Manila. With Limpot carrying the new Sta. Lucia team for the 1993 season, the Realtors managed to surprise everyone with a semi-finals appearance that led to a fourth place finish in the All-Filipino Conference. Limpot was named as the Rookie of the Year after the season.
One of Sta. Lucia's first imports was Lambert Shell, who played during the Commissioner's Cup. The team's head coach during its first few years was former PBA coach Nat Canson.
[edit] Limpot/Espino Tandem
In 1994, Sta. Lucia selected University of Santo Tomas star Dennis Espino as their first round draft pick. But his PBA debut was further delayed after suffering a nose injury during an exhibition game held in the Middle East.
Filipino-American Chris Jackson and veteran shooter Romy dela Cruz later joined team to form a solid squad to complement Limpot and Espino.
Espino managed to return Sta. Lucia late in the season and the Realtors cop a third place trophy in the Governor's Cup.
Two more third place finishes were collected by Sta. Lucia during the 1995 All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups, with Frederick Pea as import. From 1996, SLR captured another third place finish in the Commissioner's Cup with Adonis Tierra as head coach.
At this point, Sta. Lucia's best year was in 1997 when the Realtors finished third in the All-Filipino, and fourth in the Commissioner's Cup and Governor's Cup. The ironic part was that they took on San Miguel in all Battle-for-Third games under former Purefoods head coach Chot Reyes while the Realtors selected Jason Webb as the third overall pick in the draft.
Reyes left the team in 1998, replacing him with Derrick Pumaren, Limpot's former coach at La Salle and Magnolia in the PABL. Esplana and Jackson were later traded to Formula Shell for Ronnie Magsanoc. It was this time that Magsanoc hit his 1,000 career third-pointer. The Realtors entered the semis of the All-Filipino Cup, but was defeated by San Miguel in a do-or-die match for the last Finals berth.
SLR struggled in the Commissioner's Cup with Ronnie Coleman, brother of then-Philadelphia 76ers forward Derrick Coleman, missing the quarterfinals. Espino and Limpot were later loaned to the Philippine Centennial Team and the Realtors continued to struggle in the Governor's Cup.
In 1999, Limpot and Espino returned for Sta. Lucia but lost Romy dela Rosa to the Metropolitan Basketball Association. But, the Realtors added former MBA star and 1992 PBA MVP Ato Agustin with Tierra returning as the head coach. Still, the Realtors placed dead last in the All-Filipino.
Fil-American Robert Parker and Parker's college teammate Kwan Johnson joined the team in the 1999 Commissioner's Cup. The addition of both Parker and Johnson revived the franchise and eventually led to a fourth-place finish in the tournament. However, it was proven that Parker was a fake Filipino-American and left the Philippines afterwards, leaving Johnson as Sta. Lucia's import for the Governor's Cup. Sta. Lucia owner Exy Robles and the Realtors management were charged by the government for hiring Parker, which later dropped.
The departure of Parker left the Realtors to a struggling performance in the season-ending Governor's Cup. Johnson was eventually replaced by Joe Temple during the course of the tournament.
[edit] First Championship
Before the 2000 season, Limpot was traded to the Barangay Ginebra Kings for Marlou Aquino, to solidy the big man position of the team. Former grand slam winning coach Norman Black took over the Sta. Lucia's new coach. They also had the No. 1 pick in the draft and took University of the Philippines guard Paolo Mendoza. The Realtors made it only to the quarterfinals of the All-Filipino Cup.
In the Commissioner's Cup, Ansu Sesay was Sta. Lucia's import and the Realtors surprised everyone in this tournament. After placing second in the eliminations, they made it to the championship series for the first time in franchise history, only to lose to the talented San Miguel Beermen in five games. Sesay was named as Best Import of the said tournament.
With Joe Temple as import for the Governor's Cup, the Realtors did not make it past the quarterfinals. The same results can be said in the 2001 All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cup.
However, in the Governor's Cup, Damian Owens was Sta. Lucia's import and the Realtors dominated the tournament to secured their second finals appearance against the heavily-favored San Miguel team.
After both team's split their series in Game Four, the Realtors won both Games 5 and 6. Game Six was the most dramatic as the game was tightly contested. After San Miguel import Lamont Strothers tied the game with an off-balanced runner, Chris Tan hit a 24-foot three-pointer with three seconds remaining to give Sta. Lucia the lead for good to win their first-ever PBA championship with a 4-2 series victory.
Owens was the Best Import of the Conference while Gerard Francisco was the Finals Most Valuable Player.
[edit] Post-championship decline
In 2002, Sta. Lucia did not made its return to the Finals in each of the three conferences, thus failing to defend their Governor's Cup crown. After the season, Norman Black announced his resignation as head coach of Sta. Lucia, replacing him with former Tanduay mentor and Black's chief assistant Alfrancis Chua.
During the 2003 PBA Draft, Sta. Lucia shocked everyone by trading their fifth overall pick to Alaska for 1998 MVP and the Aces' star player Kenneth Duremdes. With Duremdes joining Aquino and Espino, the Realtors became one of the favorites to win any of the three conference for the 29th season.
However, Sta. Lucia placed fourth in the All-Filipino, did not qualify for the special PBA Invitational tournament and secured another fourth place finish in the Reinforced Conference. Espino and Aquino, however, made it to the Mythical Team during the annual awards night.
In the 2004 Fiesta Conference, with former Purefoods import Derrick Brown as reinforcement, the Realtors blew a double-digit lead to lose to eventual champion Barangay Ginebra Kings in the wildcard knockout phase of the tournament. This caught the ire of Chua, who even brought the whole team to the Commissioner's Office to protest the way officiating was handled.
The Realtors were again eliminated in the wildcard phase of the 2004-05 Philippine Cup after they were swept by San Miguel. In the 2005 Fiesta Conference, Sta. Lucia blew a twice-to-beat advantage in the wildcard phase and was eliminated by the soon departing Shell Turbo Chargers. Former Cincinnati Bearcat Ryan Fletcher was the import for Sta. Lucia.
[edit] 2005-06 season
In the 2005 PBA Draft, Sta. Lucia used the second-overall pick to draft point guard Alex Cabagnot. Cabagnot had a solid performance in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, along with former PBL refugee Chester Tolomia, but Sta. Lucia managed to finish seventh in the classification phase. The Realtors were swept by Alaska in the quarterfinals, losing the two games by a huge margin.
The Realtors finished with a 4-12 record in the classification phase of the Philippine Cup. However, the Realtors played in the wildcard playoff phase, which gave Sta. Lucia a chance to earn the final quarterfinals berth in the tournament. However, the Realtors won only one game during the wildcard phase to bow out of the tournament with a 1-2 record, defeating Talk N' Text in their final game of the season.
[edit] 2006 offseason
In the offseason, Sta Lucia have a big dispute with their point guard Alex Cabagnot, after the latter returned to the United States before a scheduled postseason team meeting. After months of failing to communicate with the team, and also playing for a Los Angeles-based summer league squad, the team handed out an indefinite suspension.
During the 2006 PBA Draft, the Realtors selected Filipino-American Kelly Williams as its first overall pick in the draft. They also nabbed Mark Isip (6th overall) and Mark Magsumbol (13th overall) in the said draft.
[edit] "Pure-Filipino" Policy
Sta. Lucia has a policy of fielding all pure-Filipino lineup, which meant for the team to acquire only those players who have no foreign blood. This is criticized by many PBA fans because of Sta. Lucia's reluctance to improve their team. Some blamed center Marlou Aquino for this implementation. Aquino is a staunch opponent against fake fil-foreign players that have invaded the PBA since the arrival of Asi Taulava and Eric Menk in 1999, in which he had appeared in several Senate committee hearings in the past.
However, Aquino is a PBA player said to be bombarded by criticisms by fans. Some question his work-ethic for showing up lackluster or lazy performances since the arrival of these Filipino-Americans while being paid a maximum salary of 500,000 pesos a month.
Another conflict here is in the case of Alex Cabagnot. Cabagnot is considered by many as a Filipino-American after spending his high school and collegiate studies in the United States. However, the PBA listed him as a local player, since he was born in the Philippines to Filipino parents.
But, after the Realtors drafted Filipino-American Kelly Williams, it looks as though the team is beginning to open on acquiring mixed Filipino cagers on its roster.
[edit] Current roster
| Sta. Lucia Realtors Current Roster |
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Head Coach: Alfrancis Chua ( ) |
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| F | 3 | |
Nelbert Omolon | (Philippine Christian) |
| G | 5 |  |
Alex Cabagnot | (Hawaii-Hilo) |
| G | 6 | |
Cesar Catli | (Far Eastern) |
| G | 8 | |
Paolo Mendoza | (State) |
| F | 12 | |
Mark Isip | (Far Eastern) |
| C | 13 | |
Marlou Aquino | (Adamson) |
| F/C | 16 | |
Dennis Espino (C) | (Santo Tomas) |
| G/F | 19 | |
Kenneth Duremdes | (Adamson) |
| F | 21 | |
Kelly Williams | (Oakland) |
| F | 22 | |
Oliver Agapito | (St. Benilde) |
| F | 24 | |
Recaredo Calimag | (San Beda) |
| F | 25 | |
Ronnie Bughao | (San Beda) |
| F | |
Norman Gonzales | (San Beda) | |
| (C) - Captain, (I) - Import | Sta. Lucia Realtors | |||
Other people
- Assistant coaches: Adonis Tierra, Cholo Martin, Teodorico Fernandez III, Jaime Serrano Jr.
- Team manager: Buddy Encarnado
- Governor: Buddy Encarnado
[edit] Players of note
[edit] PBA's 25th anniversary all-time team
- Kenneth Duremdes
- Ronnie Magsanoc
- Vergel Meneses
[edit] Other notable players
- Romy dela Rosa
- Gerry Esplana
- Boyet Fernandez
- Gerard Francisco
- Jun Limpot
- Noli Locsin
- Robert Parker
[edit] Imports
- Lambert Shell
- Sean Green
- Frederick Pea
- Ronnie Coleman
- Bobby Allen
- Kwan Johnson
- Joe Temple
- Ansu Sesay
- Damian Owens
- Victor Thomas
- Ray Tutt
- Leon Whitehead
- Leonard White
- Ryan Flecther
[edit] Coaches
- Nat Canson
- Adonis Tierra (1996;1999)
- Chot Reyes (1997)
- Derrick Pumaren (1998)
- Norman Black(2000-2002)
- Alfrancis Chua (2003-Present)
