1997 Pop Cola Bottlers season

The 1997 Pop Cola Bottlers season on their 8th season in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Off-season transactions

Notable dates

July 15: Import Norris Coleman scored 40 points as Pop Cola improved their standings to 4 wins and 5 loss in the Commissioner's Cup and boosted their run for a semifinals slot with a 118-99 win over league-leading Gordon's Gin Boars. ^[1]

September 20: In the Governor's Cup opening game in Tarlac City, Pop Cola scored a 108-92 win over Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies, Vergel Meneses topscored with a game-high 36 points, highlighted by six triples, while import Byron Houston added 29 points with 19 rebounds. ^[2]

Occurrences

Starting the Commissioners Cup, Coach Derrick Pumaren was replaced by Arturo Valenzona, whose last coaching job in the PBA was nine years ago, Valenzona bring along Alfrancis Chua as his assistant coach while Pumaren remain as a team consultant.

After Pop Cola's failure to reach the semifinals for the fifth straight time, a player-coach trade took place between the two teams that didn't advance in the Commissioner's Cup semifinal round, the Bottlers acquired Norman Black from Mobiline as their head coach along with Elpidio Villamin and Peter Martin in exchange for guard Ato Agustin and their former coach Derrick Pumaren, who has now moved over to the Mobiline camp. Upon Norman Black's entry at Pop Cola, Alfrancis Chua was retain as assistant coach while Arturo Valenzona was relegated to team consultant. ^[3]

On October 27, Pop Cola forward Kenneth Duremdes and center Edgar Tanuan were traded to Alaska Milk in exchange for Dwight Lago and Boyet Fernandez. ^[4]

Roster

Pos. No. Player School G 3 Eugene Quilban style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| San Sebastian C 4 Bonel Balingit style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| University of Visayas G 9 Emmanuel Victoria style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| San Beda G 10 Boyet Fernandez (A) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Colegio de San Agustin F 11 Marcelino Morelos style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| UE G 12 Romulo Marata style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| South Western University F 13 Elpidio Villamin (A) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| FEU F 15 Dwight Lago (A) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| De La Salle F 18 Vergel Meneses style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Jose Rizal College F 21 Peter Martin (A) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| San Sebastian G 23 Ricardo Marata style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| South Western University F 33 Nic Belasco style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Notre Dame College C 35 Zaldy Realubit style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| San Jose-Recoletos F 8 Norris Coleman (C) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Kansas State University G 8 Byron Houston (G) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Oklahoma State University G 6 Renato Agustin (T) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Lyceum F 19 Kenneth Duremdes (T) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| Adamson C 14 Edgar Tanuan (T) style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; width=25%""| FEU Position Name/s Head coach:  Norman Black Assistants: Alfrancis Chua (A) - Acquired via trade, (T) - Traded, (C) - Commissioner's Cup Import, (G) - Governor's Cup Import '

References