1978 Filmanbank season

1978 Filmanbank season
Head coach Lauro Mumar
All-Filipino Conference results
Record 13–12
(.520)
Place 2nd
Playoff finish 2
Open Conference results
Record 4–10
(.286)
Place N/A
Playoff finish N/A
Invitational Conference results
Record 0–4
(.000)
Place N/A
Playoff finish N/A
Filmanbank seasons

The 1978 Filmanbank season was the first season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

New team

Newcomer Filipinas Manufacturers Bank, which bought the rights of the defunct Seven-Up Uncolas to play in the professional league, had employed the core of the Uncolas team led by Larry Mumar, Jimmy Mariano, Jacinto Chua and Roberto Salonga and piloted by coach Lauro Mumar, though the new club, to be known as Filmanbank, sold Danny Florencio to Toyota, it bought the services of American Billy Robinson and sweet-shooting Jun Papa, the new ballclub has also recruited Angelito Ladores, once the MICAA's top scorer from L.R.Villar. [1]

Summary

First Conference: Due to its incomplete line-up during the first games, the bankers managed to win only two games and landed second to last with a 2-5 won-loss card, but the Filmanbank five forced a three-way tie for 3rd and 4th qualifying seats in the semifinals with Tanduay and U-Tex at 7-7, and knock the Wranglers en route to the semis. As the semifinals commenced, Filmanbank further rocked PBA tradition by scoring upsets and surprisingly became the first qualifier in the finals at 4-2 while at the same night, Toyota ousted defending champion Crispa to arrange a confrontation with its sister club, a cinderella finish was in the making but the favored Tamaraws scored two consecutive victories while Filmanbank came in strong in the third game to extend the series to a fourth meeting. In the final championship game, Toyota was just too much as the bankers were not able to match the speed and scoring of the Tamaraws, Billy Robinson was the biggest factor in Filmanbank's impressive second place finish while Larry Mumar and Jun Papa had their share of the glory. [2]

Second Conference: With all teams able to field American imports, Robinson was supported by the very talented James Allen, at the end of the first round of eliminations, Filmanbank was tied with Toyota and Honda for fifth place at 3-4, but the bankers ended the eliminations at 4-10 and lost its ticket to the semis.

Third Conference: Since they were a finalists in the All-Filipino conference, Filmanbank automatically qualified for this "elite" conference, together with perennial qualifiers Toyota and Crispa, Open Conference champion U-Tex and outsider Tanduay. Though Allen and Robinson could play together in this conference, the bankers were not given a chance to survive the single-round eliminations due to Toyota's King-Terry duo, Crispa's Truitt-Mann tandem, Wranglers' Jones-McDonald and the Payne-Moore combination of Tanduay, Filmanbank lost all of its four assignments to end its championship hunt for the 1978 season, the rookie club finish fifth-place in the cumulative standings.

Roster

ROSTER # POS HT
Jacinto Chua Forward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Ernesto De Leon Guard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Orlando Delos Santos 3 Guard 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Alfredo Enriquez 13 Guard 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Angelito Ladores 8 Forward-Guard 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Jimmy Mariano 6 Forward 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Lawrence Mumar 7 Guard 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Jaime Otazu 9 Guard 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Romulo Palijo 16 Forward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Adriano Papa 55 Forward 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Roberto Salonga 4 Guard 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Renato Sidamon Forward 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Billy Robinson Import 33 Forward 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
James Allen Import 42 Forward-Center 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

References

  1. ↑ Roster
  2. ↑ Filmanbank@1978 PBA Annual

External links