Quick Brown Fox's Untold Stories: Ricky names Jaworski, Fernandez among all-time PBA greats

(Last part) Ricky Brown burst into the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) during the latter stretch of the Crispa-Toyota era. But for Ricky Brown, Robert Jaworski, who became 'The Living Legend' in the PBA, is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. "Clearly, he was the face of the PBA and Philippine basketball. I admired the way Sonny played hard every night. I learned from Sonny that connecting with and giving back to the fans who support you was not only a good thing to do. It was the right thing to do," Brown told GMA News via online interview. Brown, the 1985 Most Valuable Player and member of champion teams, including the Grand Slam titlist squad San Miguel Beer and defunct multi-titled squad Great Taste Coffee, described "The Big J" as the most competitive player he ever faced. "He was a once-in-a-lifetime PBA player. He was one of the most charismatic and dynamic athletes I've ever competed against in my career," said Brown. "One regret I have is that I never got the opportunity to play with Sonny during my PBA career. That would have been something very special for me. Few people know how badly I wanted to play with the 'Big J' and Ginebra," added Brown. But what made Jaworski special among the players he went up against? “The Big J wasn’t the most talented or physically gifted player I ever played against, but he was like a pit bulldog – there was no quit in him regardless of the circumstance. Sonny gave 100% at all times and he expected his teammates to do the same. His game was not ‘sugar and spice’, but was all about ‘blue collar’ with a ‘never say die’ attitude," explained Brown. Ramon Fernandez is probably the best all-around player in Brown’s shortened playing career. The Quick Brown Fox was just a rookie at a time Fernandez and Jaworski were playing their last season with the fabled Toyota Corollas. Brown and his powerhouse Great Taste Coffee were able to defeat Fernandez in 1984 at a time when El Presidente captured his second of the four MVPs he won while playing for Beer Hausen. But the 6-foot-4 Fernandez was simply spectacular during that time and was in fact averaging almost triple double in the ’84 season (27 points, 15 rebounds and 9.9 assists). “Ramon was very deceiving, but he played much bigger than his size. He had great offensive skills, which was very rare for someone his size in the PBA at that time. Ramon had a nice mid-range jump shot, good post moves, could handle the ball when necessary, great passer (his best asset, in my opinion), and a good rebounder," added Brown. But Fernandez got a revenge of sorts against Brown twice – in the import-laced conference of the 1986 and 1987 seasons when the former was playing for the Tanduay Rhum Masters. When Brown was traded to San Miguel in 1988, he would get back at El Presidente in the Open Conference of the same season at a time when Fernandez was playing coach of a young glamour squad Purefoods. The two would reunite that same season and would help the San Miguel Beermen win more championships, including the Triple Crown the following year. Brown also included former rival/teammates Bogs Adornado, Philip Cezar and Abe King on the list of great players he went up against. “When I played with Bogs at Great Taste, he had already undergone several knee surgeries, so he was somewhat limited with his overall speed and quickness. However, he more than made up for that on the offensive end with a huge repertoire of offensive skills: dead-eye shooter from up to 20 feet, great offensive moves from the mid-post, automatic from the free throw line, and maybe the best head and shoulder fake in the history of the PBA," said Brown on the three-time MVP. Cezar, Brown’s teammate in Great Taste for one year, was given attribution for his intelligence while King, another former Coffeemaker, was praised for his strength. “I had the pleasure to play against and with Philip Cezar, who I consider one of the all-time greats in PBA history. Philip, when he was at his best, could do it all: defend, rebound, pass, shoot the mid-range jumper, post up, and had great ‘court intelligence’. I think Philip might be one of the more under appreciated players of his time. He was a tremendously, talented basketball player," said Brown. “For King, he played bigger than his size. In basketball lingo in the States, big, strong, gifted players who play with a huge physical presence are referred to simply as a “Man". Abe was a “Man"! He was only 6-foot-3, but he played like he was 6-foot-8. Abe also had better skills than most gave him credit for: court intelligence, passing, and a mid-range jump shot. Of course, everyone knew he was a great rebounder and defender," added Brown. Great imports While “The Black Superman" Billy Ray Bates is unquestionably the best import he ever went up against, Brown considered Norman Black as the perfect import for him. “Billy Ray Bates was a ‘one man wrecking crew’ on a powerhouse PBA team. He was virtually unstoppable when he was at the top of his game, which he was during my rookie year in 1983 and was the main reason, I believe, that Great Taste lost two championships that season. Bates had unlimited shooting range, could post up smaller players, and drove to the basket with great power and force. He was also a good rebounder, and again, he was playing with a Crispa local force that were at the top of their game in 1983," explained Brown. Bates, regarded by many as the best import ever to play in the PBA, led Crispa in capturing its second Grand Slam in the league. The former Portland Trail Blazer would return in 1986 and would lead the Ginebra Gin Kings to its first-ever title. Although the coffee-cream tandem (Black and Brown) didn’t produce Great Taste a championship, the duo would conspire in 1988 to lead the San Miguel Beermen to a championship over the Purefoods Hotdogs in the Open Conference. Black would concentrate to coaching the following year as Brown, battered by injuries, would return in the Third Conference of the 1989 season and played a key role in the Beermen’s Grand Slam campaign. “Norman was, in my opinion, the perfect mid-size import for the PBA. He had a consistent, mid-range jump shot, could rebound with anyone, defend, run the court, willing to set good picks to free up teammates, good passer, and the perfect team attitude. He was also the ideal import for me as a lead guard because we complimented one another very well and our various idiosyncrasies did not conflict with one another," said Brown. Another import Brown mentioned was Michael Young, the man who came up with a buzzer-beating long three-pointer during a game between Tanduay and Manila Beer in 1986. Twice denied of a championship (losing to Bates and Michael Hackett’s Ginebra squad in 1986 and David Thirdkill’s Tanduay in 1987), Young caught the fancy of Brown for his scoring prowess and his impressive credentials in college. “Michael was a phenomenal athlete and basketball player with a world of ‘big time basketball’ experience coming from the University of Houston, commonly known as ‘Phi Slamma Jama’, an NCAA championship finalist for a team that featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Michael was a legit 6-foot-5 guard who had no limitations offensively: dead-eye shot from up to 23 feet, could take it to the basket with power, good passer, adequate defender, and a good rebounder. Michael and I worked very well together because he preferred to play the off-guard and did not have to have the ball in his hands at all times to be effective," said Brown. Great coaches, teams During his stay in the Philippines, Brown had the opportunity to work with three of the best coaches in history – PBA Hall of Famers Ron Jacobs, Baby Dalupan and Norman Black. Brown was recruited by Jacobs to play for the all-amateur Northern Consolidated team. Dalupan was Brown’s coach with Great Taste where they won five championships while Black was the 5-foot-10 guard’s coach with San Miguel Beer, including the triple crown in 1989. “There are few coaches in my career who I wanted to win for because I loved them so much and wanted to just please them and make them happy. One coach was Gary Colson at Pepperdine, and the other was Coach Baby Dalupan. Coach Dalupan was not necessarily the best coach I ever had at improving his players at practices or with X’s and O’s, but I loved him dearly and would do anything to help bring him a victory. I’ll always cherish the earlier years at Great Taste where we enjoyed a relationship of trust, loyalty, and admiration both on and off the court, where the end result was a successful journey that will be a part of Philippine basketball history forever," said Brown. Brown likewise believes the 1985 Great Taste team that nearly went on to win the Grand Slam and the 1989 Grand Slam champion squad San Miguel are the best teams he played for. “In 1985, GTC was in its peak year with Jimmy Manansala, Willie Pearson, Abe King, Manny Victorino, Joel Banal, Joy Carpio, Chito Loyzaga, Frankie Lim and myself in the squad. As far as myself, I was truly at my best during the 1985 season, definitely at the top of my game in all phases," added Brown. “With our 1989 San Miguel team, a team that won the coveted Grand Slam, we were a team that had it all. Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Yves Dignadice, Mon Fernandez, Alvin Teng, Franz Pumaren, Ato Augustin, Elmer Reyes, Tonichi Yturri, Jeffrey Graves, and Bobby Jose – a roster that included four future PBA Hall of Famers. Both of these teams had all of the ingredients necessary to be a champion: talented offensive players, youth, experience, speed, rebounding, defense, team chemistry, coaching, and financial support from management." The 1983 Crispa Redmanziers was the team singled out by Brown as the best he has ever faced. “No doubt, it’s the 1983 Crispa Redmanizers, and specifically the second and third conferences with their sensational import, Billy Ray Bates. Coach Tommy Manotoc did a fantastic job with this team and their Grand Slam is a reflection of their hard work for the entire season," concluded Brown. – JVP/OMG, GMA News Author’s Note: After more than a year of writing/editing for GMA News Online sports section, Rey Joble is bidding goodbye. This is the author’s last article for this section. The author wants to extend his heartfelt thanks to the company, the editor and staff of GMA News Online as well as the avid readers of this section.