Larry Fonacier
Encyclopedia
Larry Alexander N. Fonacier (born May 13, 1982 in Quezon City
, Philippines
) is a professional basketball
player in the Philippine Basketball Association
who currently plays for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. He was drafted fourteenth overall by the Red Bull Barako in the 2005 PBA Draft
.
Blue Eaglets
in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Juniors Basketball division, leading them to numerous winning seasons and championships along with Enrico Villanueva
, Wesley Gonzales
, BJ Manalo, and Bajjie del Rosario. He moved to the college ranks in 2000.
In his rookie year, under coach Joe Lipa
, he played consistent minutes coming off the bench. The Blue Eagles
managed to secure a twice to beat advantage against the Far Eastern University
Tamaraws
. Despite having the twice to beat advantage, they were defeated in both games. The Eagles would have faced the De La Salle Green Archers
in a best of three series.
The following year, in 2001, Larry started in all of the games and played a significant role in the team. The team finished with 10 wins and 4 losses. They, again, secured a twice to beat advantage against the Far Eastern University
Tamaraws
. They defeated Far Eastern University
Tamaraws
67-63. They faced the De La Salle Green Archers
in the best-of-3 finals. The Eagles lost in Game 3 despite a 30 point game from L.A. Tenorio. The score was 93-88.
During the summer, the Ateneo-Hapee
team joined the commercial and amateur Philippine Basketball League
and won the championship under coach Joel Banal
. At the start of the 65th season of the UAAP, with a championship caliber coach in Banal, the Ateneo de Manila
community had very high hopes of finally ending the 14 year drought. The Eagles ended with 4 wins and 3 losses in the first round of the tournament, but lost their next two games, giving them a record of 4 wins and 5 losses. Most of the Ateneo
community had lost hope. The Eagles, however, pulled off 5 straight wins, to end the elimination round with 9 wins and 5 losses. Furthermore, they spoiled the De La Salle Green Archers
chances of sweeping the 14 game eliminations, which would have given them an outright berth in the championship round. Larry scored 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in that 76-63 win over the Green Archers. The Eagles would then face the UE Red Warriors
. The team won both games and faced the De La Salle Green Archers
in the finals in a best of 3 series. In game 1, Larry scored 11 points including 3 three points, with 6 assists and 2 crucial blocks against Mark Cardona
in the game's dying seconds. In game 2, Larry scored his career high of 25 points but lost the game by 7 points. In game 3, Larry scored only 6 points because of food poisoning, but the team finally ended the 14 title year drought winning the UAAP Men's Basketball Championship with the score of 77-70. Larry was named co-Finals MVP, along with Wesley Gonzales
, averaging 11.7 points per game.
In 2003, the Blue Eagles made it to the Finals but lost to the FEU Tamaraws
.
In 2004, Larry's last year, he only played 4 games in that season, getting an ACL injury on his left knee while driving to the basket in the fourth game against UP that ended his UAAP career.
award during the 2005-06 season
, his first year in the PBA with the Red Bull Barako
. Nicknamed the "Babyface Assassin", He played 55 games with the Barakos during the 2006-07 season
, with 13 starts. During that time, he was named as an All-Star, and played for the North All-Stars team in the 2007 PBA All-Star Weekend
. After being traded to the San Miguel Beermen
, he was then dealt to the Alaska Aces
with his team mate L.A. Tenorio in exchange for Ken Bono
and Mike Cortez
. During the 2010 PBA Draft
, he was traded by the Aces to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in exchange for the draft rights of Elmer Espiritu
.
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Philippines
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...
) is a professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player 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...
who currently plays for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. He was drafted fourteenth overall by the Red Bull Barako in the 2005 PBA Draft
2005 PBA Draft
The 2005 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft is an event, which allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. It was the first PBA Draft to feature only two rounds of drafting. It was held on August 14, 2005 at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall at Cainta, Rizal.-Round 1:-Round...
.
Collegiate and amateur career
Larry first played for the Ateneo de Manila High SchoolAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
Blue Eaglets
Ateneo Blue Eagles
The Ateneo Blue Eagles is the name of the collegiate men's varsity basketball team of the Ateneo de Manila University that plays in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the premiere sports league in the country. The collegiate women's varsity basketball team is called the Lady...
in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Juniors Basketball division, leading them to numerous winning seasons and championships along with Enrico Villanueva
Enrico Villanueva
Jose Enrico P. Villanueva , better known simply as Enrico Villanueva, and by the nicknames Raging Bull and E-Vill, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, Wesley Gonzales
Wesley Gonzales
Wesley O. Gonzales is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association.-Player Profile:...
, BJ Manalo, and Bajjie del Rosario. He moved to the college ranks in 2000.
In his rookie year, under coach Joe Lipa
Joe Lipa
Jose "Joe" Lipa, Jr. is a Filipino basketball coach. Lipa coached his alma mater, the University of the Philippines, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men's basketball. He has also had a head coaching stint for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, and the Air21 Express of the...
, he played consistent minutes coming off the bench. The Blue Eagles
Ateneo Blue Eagles
The Ateneo Blue Eagles is the name of the collegiate men's varsity basketball team of the Ateneo de Manila University that plays in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the premiere sports league in the country. The collegiate women's varsity basketball team is called the Lady...
managed to secure a twice to beat advantage against the Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
Tamaraws
FEU Tamaraws
The FEU Tamaraws is the collegiate men's varsity team of Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines...
. Despite having the twice to beat advantage, they were defeated in both games. The Eagles would have faced the De La Salle Green Archers
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University. The women's varsity teams are referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The school's athletic program participates in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among others...
in a best of three series.
The following year, in 2001, Larry started in all of the games and played a significant role in the team. The team finished with 10 wins and 4 losses. They, again, secured a twice to beat advantage against the Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
Tamaraws
FEU Tamaraws
The FEU Tamaraws is the collegiate men's varsity team of Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines...
. They defeated Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
Tamaraws
FEU Tamaraws
The FEU Tamaraws is the collegiate men's varsity team of Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines...
67-63. They faced the De La Salle Green Archers
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University. The women's varsity teams are referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The school's athletic program participates in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among others...
in the best-of-3 finals. The Eagles lost in Game 3 despite a 30 point game from L.A. Tenorio. The score was 93-88.
During the summer, the Ateneo-Hapee
Hapee Complete Protectors
The Licealiz Shampoo Hair Doctors is a basketball team currently playing in the Philippine Basketball League and is owned by the Lamoiyan Corporation. As with any team in the semi-pro PBL, the team regularly changes names, takes a leave of absence, then comes back and competes again...
team joined the commercial and amateur 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:...
and won the championship under coach Joel Banal
Joel Banal
Joel Banal is a former Filipino professional basketball player, currently serving as head coach of Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association. Banal played college ball for the Mapúa Institute of Technology, before venturing into professional basketball with the Great Taste Coffee...
. At the start of the 65th season of the UAAP, with a championship caliber coach in Banal, the Ateneo de Manila
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
community had very high hopes of finally ending the 14 year drought. The Eagles ended with 4 wins and 3 losses in the first round of the tournament, but lost their next two games, giving them a record of 4 wins and 5 losses. Most of the Ateneo
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
community had lost hope. The Eagles, however, pulled off 5 straight wins, to end the elimination round with 9 wins and 5 losses. Furthermore, they spoiled the De La Salle Green Archers
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University. The women's varsity teams are referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The school's athletic program participates in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among others...
chances of sweeping the 14 game eliminations, which would have given them an outright berth in the championship round. Larry scored 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in that 76-63 win over the Green Archers. The Eagles would then face the UE Red Warriors
UE Red Warriors
The UE Red Warriors is the men's varsity team of the University of the East in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The women's varsity team is called the Amazons, while the junior varsity team is called the Junior Warriors .-About UE:University of the East is one of the eight...
. The team won both games and faced the De La Salle Green Archers
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University. The women's varsity teams are referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The school's athletic program participates in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among others...
in the finals in a best of 3 series. In game 1, Larry scored 11 points including 3 three points, with 6 assists and 2 crucial blocks against Mark Cardona
Mark Cardona
Mark "Macmac" Cardona is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association...
in the game's dying seconds. In game 2, Larry scored his career high of 25 points but lost the game by 7 points. In game 3, Larry scored only 6 points because of food poisoning, but the team finally ended the 14 title year drought winning the UAAP Men's Basketball Championship with the score of 77-70. Larry was named co-Finals MVP, along with Wesley Gonzales
Wesley Gonzales
Wesley O. Gonzales is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association.-Player Profile:...
, averaging 11.7 points per game.
In 2003, the Blue Eagles made it to the Finals but lost to the FEU Tamaraws
FEU Tamaraws
The FEU Tamaraws is the collegiate men's varsity team of Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines...
.
In 2004, Larry's last year, he only played 4 games in that season, getting an ACL injury on his left knee while driving to the basket in the fourth game against UP that ended his UAAP career.
Professional career
Fonacier won the PBA Rookie of the YearPhilippine Basketball Association Rookie of the Year award
-List of awardees:...
award during the 2005-06 season
2005-06 PBA season
-Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: Red Bull def. Purefoods , 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade *Third place: Air21 -Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: (3) Red Bull (9-7) def. (1) Purefoods (10-6), 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade (Red Bull)*Third place: Air21 -Final...
, his first year in the PBA with the Red Bull Barako
Red Bull Barako
The Barako Bull Energy Boosters was a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association that is owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation...
. Nicknamed the "Babyface Assassin", He played 55 games with the Barakos during the 2006-07 season
2006-07 PBA season
The 2006–07 PBA season is the 32nd season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season started September 28 in Guam and began its formal opening on October 1 at the Araneta Coliseum, and ended on July 20...
, with 13 starts. During that time, he was named as an All-Star, and played for the North All-Stars team in the 2007 PBA All-Star Weekend
2007 PBA All-Star Weekend
The All Star Game started with a crazy dance by the South All-Stars. The addition of the three point dunk added to the output of the highest scoring in PBA all-star history. The South led by as much as 20 points in the game only to be defeated by the North All-Stars, the trend wherein the host...
. After being traded to the San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
, he was then dealt to the Alaska Aces
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
with his team mate L.A. Tenorio in exchange for Ken Bono
Ken Bono
Karl Kenneth O. Bono , better known as Ken Bono, is a Filipino basketball player, selected sixth overall by the Alaska Aces in the 2007 PBA Draft...
and Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez is a professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP and the ICTSI Archers in the Philippine Basketball League...
. During the 2010 PBA Draft
2010 PBA Draft
The 2010 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft is an event held at Market! Market! in Taguig City on August 29, 2010 that allowed PBA teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. Players who applied for the draft went through a rookie camp that lasted a week...
, he was traded by the Aces to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in exchange for the draft rights of Elmer Espiritu
Elmer Espiritu
Elmer Torres Espiritu is a Filipino professional basketball player who currently plays for the Shopinas.com Clickers in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played five seasons for the University of the East Red Warriors in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines from 2005 to...
.