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Northern Cement basketball team
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Northern Cement basketball team
The Northern Cement basketball team (popularly known as "the NCC basketball team") refers to the team that represented the national basketball program and training pool for the Philippines men's national basketball team from 1980 to 1986. The team was owned by businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr. through his company, Northern Cement Corporation (NCC).
In 1980, businessman and ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, founder and owner of Northern Cement Corporation, was appointed by the Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos to become the project director for basketball in the country. Cojuangco (despite not being an officer or member of the national basketball governing body at that time - the Basketball Association of the Philippines) was tasked to set up, finance, and develop the national basketball team to represent the country internationally. During that time, the best players in the country were playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the first professional basketball league in the Philippines, and in Asia. With the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur ruling that only amateur basketball players would be allowed to participate in national basketball team tournaments, Cojuangco sought a way to keep the Philippine basketball competitive on the international stage, without the country's best players.
American collegiate coaches Ron Jacobs and Ben Lindsey were brought in to handle the team. Eventually, Jacobs became NCC's head coach.
Seeking to fast-track the success of the program, the first team formed in 1981 (known as the RP Training Team) was mainly made up of eight American players who became naturalized Filipinos (a practice also common to European national teams at that time) which included Dennis Still and Jeff Moore. Two Filipino-Americans, Willie Pearson, and National Basketball Association Filipino-American draftee Ricardo Brown were included, along with two local players in JB Yango and Frankie Lim, both from San Beda College. This was done with the intention of passing on new basketball technology to the Filipino cagers.
The team (playing as Northern Cement) easily won the 4th William Jones Cup in 1981, but failed to gain support among Filipino fans, as they viewed the program as merely having foreigners represent the country. This team was eventually scrapped, and Jacobs was then asked to develop local talents instead.
In 1981, at the Southeast Asian Games held in Manila, Jacobs was tasked to retain the country's gold medal in men's basketball. Noting the lack of competition, Jacobs decided to appoint former UE Red Warriors head coach Pilo Pumaren as coach for the Philippine team, made up of players from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association. The team successfully retained the gold medal.
In 1982, Jacobs mentored the Philippines' under-19 basketball team to the Asian Basketball Confederation Juniors Championship in his first official tournament as head coach for the Philippines' teams. The team included players such as Alfie Almario, Elmer Reyes, Tonichi Ytturi, Franz Pumaren, Teddy Alfarero, Rey Cuenco, Leo Austria, Jong Uichico, Hector Calma, and Louie Brill. The team beat China in the final at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila. However, even as Jacobs went about developing local talents, the players were still deemed "raw".
In 1983, some recruits from the De La Salle squad that was also under the wings of Danding Cojuangco and five naturalized players began training for their ultimate goal of regaining the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) title in Hong Kong. The team was composed of Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Tonichi Yturri, Alfie Almario, Jun Tan, Joseph Uichico, Teddy Alfarero and naturalized players Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland, Johnny Nash and John Hegwood.
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Northern Cement basketball team
The Northern Cement basketball team (popularly known as "the NCC basketball team") refers to the team that represented the national basketball program and training pool for the Philippines men's national basketball team from 1980 to 1986. The team was owned by businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr. through his company, Northern Cement Corporation (NCC).
In 1980, businessman and ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, founder and owner of Northern Cement Corporation, was appointed by the Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos to become the project director for basketball in the country. Cojuangco (despite not being an officer or member of the national basketball governing body at that time - the Basketball Association of the Philippines) was tasked to set up, finance, and develop the national basketball team to represent the country internationally. During that time, the best players in the country were playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the first professional basketball league in the Philippines, and in Asia. With the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur ruling that only amateur basketball players would be allowed to participate in national basketball team tournaments, Cojuangco sought a way to keep the Philippine basketball competitive on the international stage, without the country's best players.
American collegiate coaches Ron Jacobs and Ben Lindsey were brought in to handle the team. Eventually, Jacobs became NCC's head coach.
Seeking to fast-track the success of the program, the first team formed in 1981 (known as the RP Training Team) was mainly made up of eight American players who became naturalized Filipinos (a practice also common to European national teams at that time) which included Dennis Still and Jeff Moore. Two Filipino-Americans, Willie Pearson, and National Basketball Association Filipino-American draftee Ricardo Brown were included, along with two local players in JB Yango and Frankie Lim, both from San Beda College. This was done with the intention of passing on new basketball technology to the Filipino cagers.
The team (playing as Northern Cement) easily won the 4th William Jones Cup in 1981, but failed to gain support among Filipino fans, as they viewed the program as merely having foreigners represent the country. This team was eventually scrapped, and Jacobs was then asked to develop local talents instead.
In 1981, at the Southeast Asian Games held in Manila, Jacobs was tasked to retain the country's gold medal in men's basketball. Noting the lack of competition, Jacobs decided to appoint former UE Red Warriors head coach Pilo Pumaren as coach for the Philippine team, made up of players from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association. The team successfully retained the gold medal.
In 1982, Jacobs mentored the Philippines' under-19 basketball team to the Asian Basketball Confederation Juniors Championship in his first official tournament as head coach for the Philippines' teams. The team included players such as Alfie Almario, Elmer Reyes, Tonichi Ytturi, Franz Pumaren, Teddy Alfarero, Rey Cuenco, Leo Austria, Jong Uichico, Hector Calma, and Louie Brill. The team beat China in the final at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila. However, even as Jacobs went about developing local talents, the players were still deemed "raw".
In 1983, some recruits from the De La Salle squad that was also under the wings of Danding Cojuangco and five naturalized players began training for their ultimate goal of regaining the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) title in Hong Kong. The team was composed of Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Tonichi Yturri, Alfie Almario, Jun Tan, Joseph Uichico, Teddy Alfarero and naturalized players Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland, Johnny Nash and John Hegwood.