Olsen Racela
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| Position | Guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| League | Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) |
| Team | Magnolia Beverage Masters |
| Born | November 1, 1970 Quezon City |
| Nationality | Philippines |
| College | Ateneo de Manila University |
| Pro career | 1993–present |
| Former teams | PBL: Crispa (1989), A&W Rootbeers (1990-1991), Pop Cola (1992) PBA: Purefoods TJ Hotdogs (1993-1996) San Miguel Beermen/Magnolia Beverage Masters (1997-present) National team |
| Awards |
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Rodericko Cesar Escueta Racela or Olsen Racela (born November 1, 1970 in Quezon City, Philippines) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Magnolia Beverage Masters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is considered as one of the best point guard in the league today. He is also a former member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP and the Philippine national basketball team on many occasions.
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[edit] Early life
Olsen Racela started playing basketball early in his life. It was just a game back then. A couple of shots through a hoop in his old neighborhood. Among his brothers, he shone out with the better basketball skills which gave him a spot in Ateneo de Manila University's varsity team.
[edit] Amateur career
Racela played for the Blue Eagles in a backup role to Jun Reyes and was a member of the Blue Eagles team that won the UAAP title in 1988. He also played in the PABL (now the Philippine Basketball League and the RP Youth Team.
[edit] PBA career
[edit] Purefoods
In 1993, Racela was selected by Purefoods in the 1993 PBA Rookie Draft. From 1993-1996, he played the backup role to Dindo Pumaren and won two titles with the Purefoods franchise under a limited role with the TJ Hotdogs.
[edit] San Miguel Beermen
In 1997, Racela moved to the San Miguel Beermen in what became the turnaround of his young career. Under new San Miguel head coach Ron Jacobs, Racela's skills were noticed under a rebuilding Beermen squad of Nelson Asaytono, Freddie Abuda and Mike Mustre.
In 1998, Racela's game would improve and was rewarded with a spot on the Tim Cone-coached Philippine Centennial Team that took home a bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. A season later, with Racela as its top point guard, San Miguel became the league's new dynasty under Jong Uichico, winning five titles from 1999-2001.
[edit] 2002 Busan Asiad
He made his second stint in the national team in 2002 for the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. With Racela as point guard, the Nationals made it all the way through the semifinals against host South Korea. In the final minute, Racela scored a three-pointer to give the Philippines the lead. However, after recovering the possession and was fouled, he missed two crucial free throws that could have given the country a four-point lead. Instead, Lee Sang Min's buzzer-beating triple gave the Koreans a dramatic 69-68 victory. Some argued that the blame rest on Jong Uichico's coaching in which he didn't set out a plan to ease Racela's pressure from the 15th foot line.
[edit] Present
Despite the missed free-throws, Racela continued to shine in his point guard duties with San Miguel. In 2004, he dished his 2,000th career assist and was the starting point guard when the Beermen won another title in the 2005 PBA Fiesta Conference.
Starting in the 2006-07 All Filipino Conference, Racela occasionally plays off the bench in preparation for his retirement and life as an assistant coach.
[edit] Personal life
Racela's nickname was based on the day of his birth as it was during All-Saints Day.
His brother, Nash, is currently the assistant coach of the Beermen under Chot Reyes. Nash also coached the Batangas Blades in the Metropolitan Basketball Association.
[edit] Basketball career
[edit] School Leagues
- 1984: Ateneo de Manila - PAYA Aspirants
- 1985: Ateneo de Manila - PAYA Juniors
- 1986 Ateneo de Manila - UAAP Juniors
- 1987-1992: Ateneo de Manila - UAAP Seniors
[edit] Philippine Basketball League
- 1989: Crispa Redmanizers
- 1990-1991: A&W Rootbeers
- 1992: Pop Cola
[edit] Philippine Basketball Association
[edit] National Teams
- 1987 Asian Youth 18 years and below, Qatar
- 1989 Asian Youth ABC, Manila
- 1998 Asian Games, Thailand
- 1998 Jones Cup, Taipei
- 2002 Asian Games, Busan, South Korea
[edit] Awards and Achievements
[edit] Philippine Basketball Association
- 1993 Mister Quality Minutes
- 1998-1999 2-time Mythical 2nd Team
- 2000-2001 2-time Mythical 1st Team
- 2000-2001 2-time All-Star
- 2004 21st member of 2000-Assist Club
[edit] External links
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