Alex Compton
Encyclopedia
Alexander M. Compton is a retired Filipino
born-American basketball player who had stints in noted Philippine
basketball leagues either as player or assistant coach and is now the national tournament director of the Nokia National Basketball Training Center Developmental League, the grassroots program of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Born in Makati, Compton and his family spent a year in northeastern Thailand when he was ten years old. His parents, both Southeast Asian Studies scholars, were researchers there.
Compton moved to Madison from upstate New York in 1988, when his parents began working at the University of Wisconsin. Compton was a starting guard on the 1992 Madison West High School basketball squad. There he teamed up with Mike Dammen to led the school's only state championship team since 1945.
Although he dreamed of playing in a foreign league, Compton had no clue how to get to one until his junior year at Cornell. When a coach heard Compton was born in the Philippines, he told Compton that he could play on a team in the Philippine Basketball Association
. Compton found an agent, who arranged for him to join a team in July 1997, after graduation.
Compton is most notably known for his years in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association
with the Manila Metrostars
and the Batangas Blades
. He won the 1999 MBA Most Valuable Player award when the Metrostars won the national title and also won another championship with the Blades in 2001.
By the time the MBA folded in 2002, Compton was a fixture in Philippine basketball and fully assimilated into the culture. But he still could not play in the PBA due to the league's eligibility rules that don't allow naturalized Filipino citizens to play. Instead, he appeared on television as a basketball analyst. Compton also got an exception from the Philippine Basketball League
. He played for the Sunkist-UST Tigers and the Montaña Pawnshop Jewels from 2002-2006. He led the Jewels to its only PBL crown in the 2005 PBL Open Championship.
In the 2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup
, Compton was hired as one of the assistant coaches of the Dragons before being allowed by the PBA to play as the team's second import for the 2007
and 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
, it was his only PBA appearance as a player. He was elevated to the assistant head coaching position with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters from 2006 to 2009.
Currently, he is the assistant coach of Powerade Tigers in the PBA
.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
born-American basketball player who had stints in noted Philippine
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
basketball leagues either as player or assistant coach and is now the national tournament director of the Nokia National Basketball Training Center Developmental League, the grassroots program of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Born in Makati, Compton and his family spent a year in northeastern Thailand when he was ten years old. His parents, both Southeast Asian Studies scholars, were researchers there.
Compton moved to Madison from upstate New York in 1988, when his parents began working at the University of Wisconsin. Compton was a starting guard on the 1992 Madison West High School basketball squad. There he teamed up with Mike Dammen to led the school's only state championship team since 1945.
Although he dreamed of playing in a foreign league, Compton had no clue how to get to one until his junior year at Cornell. When a coach heard Compton was born in the Philippines, he told Compton that he could play on a team in the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
. Compton found an agent, who arranged for him to join a team in July 1997, after graduation.
Compton is most notably known for his years in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association or Metroball was a professional basketball league in the Philippines founded in 1998.The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association's plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing...
with the Manila Metrostars
Manila Metrostars
The Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas...
and the Batangas Blades
Batangas Blades
The Batangas Blades is a former professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2002....
. He won the 1999 MBA Most Valuable Player award when the Metrostars won the national title and also won another championship with the Blades in 2001.
By the time the MBA folded in 2002, Compton was a fixture in Philippine basketball and fully assimilated into the culture. But he still could not play in the PBA due to the league's eligibility rules that don't allow naturalized Filipino citizens to play. Instead, he appeared on television as a basketball analyst. Compton also got an exception from the Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
. He played for the Sunkist-UST Tigers and the Montaña Pawnshop Jewels from 2002-2006. He led the Jewels to its only PBL crown in the 2005 PBL Open Championship.
In the 2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup
2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup
The 2006-07 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup or known as the 2006-07 Talk 'N Text PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the first conference of the 2006-07 PBA season. It started on September 28, 2006 in Guam and ended on February 7, 2007...
, Compton was hired as one of the assistant coaches of the Dragons before being allowed by the PBA to play as the team's second import for the 2007
2007 PBA Fiesta Conference
-Barangay Ginebra-San Miguel series:-Talk 'N Text-Air21 series:-Red Bull-Talk 'N Text series:-Alaska-San Miguel series:-Third-place playoff:-Finals:Prior to Game 1, Sandwich performed "Laban kung Laban," the TV theme song of the PBA....
and 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2008 Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference or known as the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, is the last conference of the 2007-08 PBA season. The tournament began on March 29 with a game between the Coca-Cola Tigers and the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals at...
, it was his only PBA appearance as a player. He was elevated to the assistant head coaching position with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters from 2006 to 2009.
Currently, he is the assistant coach of Powerade Tigers in the PBA
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
.
Accomplishments
- 1999 MBA Most Valuable Player
- 1999 All-MBA Team
- 1999 MBA Champion
- 2001 All-MBA Team
- 2001 MBA Champion
- 2005 PBL Open Championship Finals MVP
- 2005 PBL Champion