Vergel Meneses
Encyclopedia
Vergel Meneses - nicknamed "The Aerial Voyager" - is a retired Filipino
professional basketball player who last played for the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the Philippine Basketball Association
. He was also a former PBA Most Valuable Player and a many-time member of the Philippine National team. A high leaper blessed with a deft shooting touch, a dozen post moves and an eye for the open man, Meneses has been described as the most talented player ever to play in the PBA http://www.pba.ph/25greatest.php?selected=8#Player.
of the Jose Rizal College (now Jose Rizal University
) team. Although, he was not able to lead his team to a championship in his four-year tenure at the National Collegiate Athletic Association
, he was one of the premier players of the said league where he was known to be a high-flyer. He solidified his status as an exciting player when he won the Philippine Basketball League
(PBL) Slam Dunk contest as a collegiate player besting such established amateur players then like Alvin Patrimonio
among others. At JRC, he played alongside his older brother, Vic Meneses, the second brother tandem at the JRC team after the more celebrated Cezar brothers, former PBA MVP Philip
and David.
, then Burger City and finally Swift Hotdogs, where he was tagged as Samboy Lim
's successor in the high-wire act department. Vergel more than lived up to that tag. Like Samboy, Vergel was a superb one-on-one player, but unlike Samboy, Vergel proved to be more durable. A year after, in 1989, he was named to the RP Youth Team http://www.mypbl.com/20PBLplayers.shtml as well as the 15th Southeast Asian Games
(SEA Games) team
that played and finished runner-up at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 1991, he was also a part of the victorious Philippine Team that played at the 16th SEA Games
held in Manila
.
In 2000, Meneses was named as part of the PBL's 12 Greatest Legacy Team. In 2003, Meneses was named in the PBL's Top 20 Players list on the occasion of the league's 20th year. http://www.mypbl.com/20PBLplayers.shtml
taken in by the Presto Ice Cream
(formerly Great Taste Coffee) franchise. At Presto, he played alongside 1990 Most Valuable Player Allan Caidic
, Chairman of the Board Abe King
, many-time Mythical Team member Manuel Victorino and the late 1979 Rookie of the Year and Mythical Five Member Arnulfo "Arnie" Tuadles
.
He averaged 17.7 points, 1.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game in 39 games during his rookie year but he lost the ROY award to bossom buddy, Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena. But everybody understood that it was simply because Ravena's team, San Miguel Beer, had a lot more success than Meneses' Presto team. However, he was named to the All-Star team for the year and also won the first of his back-to-back Slam Dunk trophies.
During the year, he showed all and sundry what a prolific talent he would be by winning the Most Improved Player award while averaging 16.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game splitting time with the Realtors (22 games) and Swift Hotdogs (50) teams. He was also named to the Mythical Second Team as well as his 2nd All-Star berth and 2nd Slam Dunk trophy.
In 1994, he further elevated his game to newer heights by bagging the Best Player of the Conference
award in the season-ending Governor's Cup which started a string of three straight BPC awards spilling over to the first two conferences of the 1995 season, thereby becoming the first three-time recipient of the award.
For the year, he led Swift Hotdogs to a runner-up finish in the Governor's Cup together with import Herb Jones. He was named to his 3rd consecutive All-Star and at season's end, he was amply rewarded with a berth in the Mythical First Team after posting averages of 19.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game in 71 games.
In 1995, Meneses won the prestigious Most Valuable Player award
after only four years in the league when he averaged a career-high 20.0 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 3.3 rebounds per game in 70 games. He made it once again to the Mythical First Team, his 4th straight All-Star appearance where he won the first of his record-setting 4 All-Star MVP awards, and the BPC awards of the first two conferences, the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups as well as the Pro Basketball Player of the Year award from both the PSA and SCOOP Awards giving bodies. By winning the BPC awards of the first two conferences, he became the first multiple, as well as three-time winner, of the said award.
He also led his team, re-christened as Sunkist Orange Juice, to the championship of both the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups (with Ronnie Grandison
as import). After that, the coveted Grand Slam was beckoning. However, a loss to the Shell Rimula-X team in the playoff for the second finals berth denied them a shot at clinching what would have been only the 4th Grand Slam during the time in the league after the Crispa Redmanizers
(1976 and 1983), and the San Miguel Beermen
(1989). They eventually finished 2nd runner-up with import Stevin Smith
in tow. In the process, he also lost the BPC award to former teammate Caidic for the conference denying him a sweep of the individual awards for the year (season MVP, All-Star MVP, BPC awards, Mythical First Team).
In 1996, he made it to the 5,000-point club becoming the 5th fastest player to do so. He also became the first local player in ten years to win both the scoring and assists titles, averaging 19.6 and 6.6, respectively, while adding 4.0 rebounds per game in 37 games. He also made his 5th straight All-Star appearance. However, the team bombed out in all 3 conferences failing to make it past the elimination round.
In 1997, he made it to his 6th straight All-Star game and averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 37 games. However, his team, re-christened again as Pop Cola Bottlers, continued its downfall, failing to make it past the elimination round of all 3 conferences for the 2nd straight year.
The 1998 season saw somewhat of a re-birth not only for Meneses but for the team as they posted two 2nd runner-up finishes in the All-Filipino Cup and Commissioner's Cup (with long-time Philippines resident Norman Black
as import). But his inclusion in the 1998 Centennial team that represented the country in the 21st William Jones Cup
(Champions) and the 13th Asian Games
(Bronze Medal), spelled doom for the team in the Governor's Cup as it again failed to make the Final Four.
Individually, however, Meneses had another outstanding year. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game in 30 games. He was also a Member of the PBA All-Star team that went up against the NBA’s Shaquille O'Neal
, Chris Gatling
and company in the "Shaq-a-rap Tour" as well as the Centennial team that went up against various NCAA Division I schools in the US as part of the country’s preparation for the 13th Asian Games. He also made it to his 7th straight All-Star game where he won his 2nd All-Star MVP, becoming the first player to win multiple All-Star MVP awards. He was later on joined by Benjie Paras
who won both the 1989 ROY and MVP awards and repeated as MVP in 1999, who was a two-time All-Star MVP. The two were joined in the elite club much later by Asi Taulava
and Jayjay Helterbrand
who split the All-Star MVP award from 2004–2007, Taulava winning it in even-numbered years in 2004 and 2006 and Helterbrand bagging it in odd-numbered years in 2005 and 2007.
for Luis Manuel "Noli" Locsin
. For the year, Meneses established himself as the Kings go-to-guy by averaging 16.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in 32 games. He was also voted as a starter to the 1999 All-Star game but was unable to play due to injury.
The year 2000 was another good year for Meneses as he further cemented his place in the annals of the PBA as well as the PBL. He was selected as part of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players as well as the PBL’s 12 Greatest Legacy Team. He again made another All-Star appearance, his 8th, where he won his 3rd All-Star MVP award. For the season, Meneses averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in 32 games.
Meneses had four solid seasons with the Kings. In 2001, there were reports at the start of the year that Meneses would be traded for Mark Telan
. However, just 3 games into the All-Filipino Cup, Meneses showed that he intends to stay with the franchise as he won Player of the Week honors for the period February 6-11, 2001. However, with injuries, as well as the arrival of rookie guard Fil-American Mark Caguioa
, Meneses' minutes constantly diminished that eventually led to his transfer to FedEx, a rookie team that took over from the defunct Tanduay club. The highlight of his stay with the San Miguel Corporation-owned company was when the Kings made its first finals appearance in four years, when they lost to sister club San Miguel Beer in the All-Filipino Cup finals, 4-2. Meneses posted averages of 11.2 points, 10th-best 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 49 games for the year 2001 with Barangay Ginebra, his lowest averages since entering the league in 1992.
for a future draft pick. His career reemerged during his two year stay with the team. At the Express team, he was reunited with Derrick Pumaren
, his coach at Swift during their glory year in 1995. He again led the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game (15 games) on the way to a season averages of 12.4 points, 1.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in 22 games (combined average while playing for FedEx and Ginebra), his second lowest scoring averages. He was also named Player of the Week for the period July 29 – August 4, 2002.
In 2003, he was named to the PBL’s Top 20 Players for his exploits at Magnolia, Burger City, and Swift Hotdogs. He was also a three-time recipient of the Player of the Week award, for the periods March 10–16, 2003, March 17–23, 2003 and April 14–20, 2003. He also became the first local player in 2 years to score at least 20 points in a quarter when he scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter of FedEx victory over Ginebra. Meneses was voted into his 9th All-Star game where he was named as the All-Star MVP in 2003, his 4th overall, and also led the Express to a third-place finish in the 2003 PBA Invitationals. He was also the first recipient of the Sportsman of the Year award together with Benjie Paras
and Rob Johnson.
He also became a sort of a 3rd-quarter man for the FedEx team as he scored: (a) 15 points vs. San Miguel Beer on April 16, 2003, (b) 16 points against Red Bull on April 27, 2003, (c) 20 points contra Ginebra on May 2, 2003, (d) 12 points opposite Talk 'N Text on May 9, 2003 and (e) 19 points for the Commissioners All-Stars versus the Governors All-Stars in the June 1, 2003 All-Star game.
He finished the year as the Express scoring leader and the league's 8th leading scorer with an average of 15.9 points per game in nearly an average of 30 minutes playing time. He added 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game for the season and saw him reached the 2,000 assists club, the 19th player to do so.
2004 saw him reach the 9,000-point plateau. He also made his 10th and last All-Star appearance during the year becoming the North team’s leading vote-getter and the 2nd leading vote-getter for the All-Star festivities behind Danny Seigle
. By making it to his 10th All-Star, he became only the third player with at least 10 appearances in the mid-year festivities after Jerry Codiñera
and Patrimonio.
He again flashed his 3rd quarter explosion by scoring 13 points on March 17, 2004 in a game against the Alaska Aces. He also found his way playing for his 6th team, the Red Bull franchise, where he was reunited with former coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao
.
. He started out his career with Red Bull by playing at the 4th Shell Rimula Invitational Basketball Tournament (Sultan's Cup). However, injuries hampered Meneses' first few games with the Barakos. But he eventually played 51 games for the team during the year where he averaged 9.3 ppg, 2.12 apg and 2.02 rpg. In the 2005-2006 season, Meneses was put on the reserve list.
In 2005, he played for the Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan
-coached TM PBA Legends that defeated the TM PBA Greats, 96-92, in an exhibition match where he scored 21 points, second only to Caidic's topscore of 30 points. The game was the featured event of the league’s 30th year anniversary festivities. The two teams were made up of the 25 Greatest Players that were chosen by coaches Dalupan and ex-Senator Robert Jaworski
. Incidentally, Meneses was one of only 4 active players then, the other three being Codiñera, Johnny Abarrientos
and Kenneth Duremdes
.
as coach of the Phone Pals in the 2006 Philippine Cup, the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals signed Meneses to a contract, erasing speculations of Meneses' possible retirement. At Talk 'N Text, he played sparingly in a reserve role while showing some decent games during the tournament. He played 8 games, with 1 start, for the Phone Pals in the 2006 Philippine Cup after sitting out the first conference, averaging 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, his lowest averages in his entire career. During the 2006-2007 off-season, his contract was not anymore renewed by Talk 'N Text.
Despite his brilliant career defined by numerous individual awards and championships as well as being a national team player on various occasions, he has become quite a journeyman having already played for 7 teams starting out with the Presto Ice Cream team drifting to Sta. Lucia, Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola, Barangay Ginebra, FedEx Express, Red Bull and lastly Talk 'N Text.
In 2006, Meneses announced his retirement finishing his career with 9,453 points, 1,896 rebounds and 2,129 assists in 590 games where he logged 19,135 minutes of playing time, 174 steals, 270 blocks and shooting averages of 0.287 3-PT FG%, 0.470 FG% and .749 FT%.
and Jun Limpot
. In 1989 and 1991, Meneses was part of the RP Team that played in the 15th (runner-up) and 16th (champions) editions of the SEA Games.
In 1998, Meneses was named into the Philippine Centennial Team
for the Asian Games in Bangkok. With Meneses and former Sunkist teammate Duremdes sharing minutes in the shooting guard/small forward spot, the country took home a bronze medal in the said event.
He was also a part of the Philippine Team that won the 1998 edition of the Jones Cup held in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2004, he also played in the 4th Shell Rimula Invitational Basketball Tournament (Sultan's Cup) in Brunei where he started his career with the Red Bull Barako team.
| align="left" | 1992
| align="left" | Presto
| 39 || 26.10 || .511 || .304 || .802 || 2.15 || 1.59 || 0.21 || 0.62 || 17.69
|-
| align="left" | 1993
| align="left" | Sta. Lucia
| 22 || 36.82 || .538 || .333 || .822 || 3.18 || 3.55 || 0.27 || 0.73 || 18.55
|-
| align="left" | 1993
| align="left" | Swift Mighty Meaty
| 50 || 29.74 || .583 || .305 || .762 || 2.54 || 2.74 || 0.22 || 0.74 || 15.30
|-
| align="left" | 1994
| align="left" | Swift Mighty Meaty
| 71 || 36.46 || .552 || .209 || .820 || 4.59 || 3.10 || 0.18 || 0.52 || 19.56
|-
| align="left" | 1995
| align="left" | Sunkist Orange Juice
| 70 || 36.93 || .500 || .325 || .788 || 3.34 || 5.41 || 0.31 || 0.60 || 20.03
|-
| align="left" | 1996
| align="left" | Sunkist Orange Juice
| 37 || 39.81 || .469 || .275 || .764 || 4.00 || 6.65 || 0.70 || 0.46 || 19.59
|-
| align="left" | 1997
| align="left" | Pop Cola
| 38 || 35.68 || .473 || .345 || .782 || 3.63 || 5.13 || 0.42 || 0.68 || 17.08
|-
| align="left" | 1998
| align="left" | Pop Cola
| 30 || 36.60 || .484 || .280 || .698 || 3.20 || 4.33 || 0.33 || 0.47 || 17.63
|-
| align="left" | 1999
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
| 32 || 38.41 || .413 || .212 || .686 || 3.66 || 4.38 || 0.41 || 0.31 || 16.72
|-
| align="left" | 2000
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
| 32 || 34.00 || .328 || .262 || .619 || 3.53 || 3.38 || 0.31 || 0.19 || 13.34
|-
| align="left" | 2001
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
| 49 || 29.71 || .407 || .322 || .674 || 3.14 || 3.20 || 0.27 || 0.37 || 11.18
|-
| align="left" | 2002
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra/FedEx Express
| 22 || 24.86 || .445 || .344 || .792 || 2.55 || 1.86 || 0.18 || 0.09 || 12.41
|-
| align="left" | 2003
| align="left" | FedEx Express
| 39 || 29.64 || .392 || .223 || .638 || 2.82 || 2.97 || 0.26 || 0.41 || 15.87
|-
| align="left" | 2004-05
| align="left" | FedEx Express/Red Bull Barako
| 51 || 22.49 || .422 || .331 || .584 || 2.02 || 2.12 || 0.22 || 0.10 || 9.29
|-
| align="left" | 2005-06
| align="left" | Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
| 8 || 12.00 || .300 || .143 || .500 || 2.50 || 1.50 || 0.12 || 0.00 || 2.50
|-
| Career
| align="left" |
| 590 || 32.43 || .470 || .287 || .749 || 3.21 || 3.61 || 0.29 || 0.46 || 16.02
|-
, Ramon Fernandez
, Tim Coloso and Abe King
(the organizer of the event) and old Crispa mainstays Abet Guidaben
, Atoy Co
, Philip Cezar
, Bernie Fabiosa
and Bogs Adornado
.
Meneses played for the Ohana Harbor-Toyota team coached by Robert Jaworski
(who was sidelined by an injury and was replaced by Bong Alvarez in the starting line-up) while the Martin Purefoods-Crispa team was handled by coach Cris Calilan. The two teams figured in a four-game series each winning two games apiece.
Toyota scored a 91-89 win in the series opener at the Logan High School gym in Union City on March 8 before Crispa got even the next day with a 96-91 victory at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. Crispa made it two in a row with a 104-101 victory in Carson City before Toyota squared the series at 2-2, pulling off a 94-86 triumph in San Diego.
Guidaben, still showing some spring in his legs at 55, fired 21 points to lead all scorers in the Carson City contest. Co and Ronnie Magsanoc
pumped in 19 apiece with Jojo Lastimosa
adding 16, Yoyoy Villamin 11 and Adornado 10. Meneses rattled in 20 points to pace Toyota, which also drew double-digit outputs from Gerry Esplana and Manny Victorino.
In San Diego, Meneses once again topscored for Toyota with 23 with Jerry Codiñera
and Coloso contributing 11 apiece, Olsen Racela
9 and Fernandez and Arnaiz with 8 each. The losing team drew double-digit outputs from Magsanoc, Villamin, Guidaben and Romy dela Rosa.
Others who played for Crispa were Alvin Patrimonio
and Sonny Cabatu
. Allan Caidic
played the first two games and rushed back to Manila to attend to a personal matter. On the other hand, Manny Paner, Art dela Cruz, Hector Calma
, Marte Saldaña and Yves Dignadice were the other players of Toyota.
Meneses also figured in the one-on-one series where he won over Alvarez, 6-2.
In the post-Samboy Lim era, the 6-foot-3 Meneses continued to move the game off the floor on the strength of his wondrous legs, then finished plays with the creativity of his boundless skills. He personifies hang time, making up moves in mid-air before scoring with a graceful shot off the glass or a twisting lay up.
His aerial acrobatics continued to dazzle PBA fans, winning fans nationwide and making his nickname, Aerial Voyager, familiar around the country. Vergel, like Samboy, seems to defy gravity as he soars to the basket on the fly. Opponents know what Vergel can do, but they never know how he's going to do it - and that makes him virtually impossible to stop.
"In the eyes of most coaches today, there is no player as dangerous on the offense as Vergel," wrote the PBA Annual. "The reason is simple. The 1995 league MVP can break down opposing teams in so many ways, from his crowd-pleasing drives to his long jumpers to his ability to see the floor and hit open teammates with the perfect pass."
Sunkist almost completed a Grand Slam in 1995, the year the former Jose Rizal College Bomber airwalked his way head and shoulders above the rest and won the Most Valuable Player award.
The RFM franchise surrounded the flamboyant forward with a horde of talents to ensure winning, including a clone - Kenneth Duremdes - who would later turn out to be an equally great player and a fellow member of the elite MVP club.
One of Vergel's biggest assets aside from his aerial acrobatics is his big fighting heart. He is a big time player who is not afraid to seek the ball when the chips are down. He is a player who is willing to take the last shot and has been successful most of the time.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
professional basketball player who last played for the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals 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...
. He was also a former PBA Most Valuable Player and a many-time member of the Philippine National team. A high leaper blessed with a deft shooting touch, a dozen post moves and an eye for the open man, Meneses has been described as the most talented player ever to play in the PBA http://www.pba.ph/25greatest.php?selected=8#Player.
Collegiate career
Meneses started out his collegiate basketball career as King BomberJRU Heavy Bombers
The JRU Heavy Bombers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball team of the Jose Rizal University.They currently have the longest championship drought in the NCAA with 38 title-less seasons....
of the Jose Rizal College (now Jose Rizal University
José Rizal University
José Rizal University is a non-sectarian, non-stock private educational institution. It is located at Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It was founded in 1919 by Vicente Fabella, who was the first Philippine Certified Accountant.José Rizal University joined the National Collegiate...
) team. Although, he was not able to lead his team to a championship in his four-year tenure at the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an athletics association of nine colleges and universities in the Philippines. Established in 1924, the NCAA is the oldest athletic association in the Philippines...
, he was one of the premier players of the said league where he was known to be a high-flyer. He solidified his status as an exciting player when he won 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:...
(PBL) Slam Dunk contest as a collegiate player besting such established amateur players then like Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
among others. At JRC, he played alongside his older brother, Vic Meneses, the second brother tandem at the JRC team after the more celebrated Cezar brothers, former PBA MVP Philip
Philip Cezar
Philip "The Scholar" Cezar is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1980. He was also a many-time Philippine national team player in...
and David.
Amateur career
In the PBL, the amateur counterpart league of the PBA, Meneses first played for Magnolia Ice CreamMagnolia Purewater Wizards
The Magnolia Purewater Wizards is a basketball team currently playing in the Philippine Basketball League and is owned by San Miguel Corporation-San Miguel Lagerlite Beermen:* Paul Alvarez* Allan Caidic* Yves Dignadice* Jerry Codinera* Jong Uichico...
, then Burger City and finally Swift Hotdogs, where he was tagged as Samboy Lim
Samboy Lim
Avelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
's successor in the high-wire act department. Vergel more than lived up to that tag. Like Samboy, Vergel was a superb one-on-one player, but unlike Samboy, Vergel proved to be more durable. A year after, in 1989, he was named to the RP Youth Team http://www.mypbl.com/20PBLplayers.shtml as well as the 15th Southeast Asian Games
1989 Southeast Asian Games
The 15th Southeast Asian Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20 August - 31 August 1989. It was officially opened by 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah. Although Cambodia did not participate, Laos returned to compete for the first time under the new federation name in this...
(SEA Games) team
Philippines national basketball team
The men's national basketball team of the Philippines represents the Philippines in international basketball competitions. It is managed by its national basketball federation, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
that played and finished runner-up at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 1991, he was also a part of the victorious Philippine Team that played at the 16th SEA Games
1991 Southeast Asian Games
The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November - 3 December 1991. This was the second time that the country hosted the biennial regional sporting event. It was officially opened by President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila through a...
held in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
In 2000, Meneses was named as part of the PBL's 12 Greatest Legacy Team. In 2003, Meneses was named in the PBL's Top 20 Players list on the occasion of the league's 20th year. http://www.mypbl.com/20PBLplayers.shtml
Presto Ice Cream
Vergel Meneses was the top pick in the 1992 PBA Draft1992 PBA Draft
The 1992 Philippine Basketball Association ' Rookie Draft is an event which will allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Undrafted:* Roberto Concepcion* Benjamin da Jose, Jr....
taken in by the Presto Ice Cream
Great Taste Coffee Makers
Great Taste Coffee was one of the Pioneer teams in the Philippine Basketball Association . The company was then known as the Consolidated Foods Corporation and their chief products included well known brands like Presto Ice Cream, N-Rich Coffee Cream, Jack & Jill Fun Snacks, Great Taste Coffee...
(formerly Great Taste Coffee) franchise. At Presto, he played alongside 1990 Most Valuable Player Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
, Chairman of the Board Abe King
Abe King
Abe King, Jr. was a Filipino basketball player who was part of the champion Philippine Basketball Association ballclub Toyota Tamaraws. He was the starting power center of 1976 MICAA Champion Crown Motors before his mother team, the Toyota Tamaraws called upon his services at the start of the...
, many-time Mythical Team member Manuel Victorino and the late 1979 Rookie of the Year and Mythical Five Member Arnulfo "Arnie" Tuadles
Arnie Tuadles
Arnulfo "Arnie" Tuadles was a Filipino basketball player who once played for the fabled Philippine Basketball Association team Toyota Super Corollas. He began his career brightly as a stalwart in the MICAA, playing for the Manilabank Golden Bankers in the mid-70s before peddling his wares with the...
.
He averaged 17.7 points, 1.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game in 39 games during his rookie year but he lost the ROY award to bossom buddy, Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena. But everybody understood that it was simply because Ravena's team, San Miguel Beer, had a lot more success than Meneses' Presto team. However, he was named to the All-Star team for the year and also won the first of his back-to-back Slam Dunk trophies.
Sta. Lucia Realty
In 1993, the Presto team disbanded and the franchise was bought by the Sta. Lucia Realty team. Meneses spent a conference with the team. He led the team to a 3rd runner-up finish in the All-Filipino Cup.Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola
After spending one conference with Sta. Lucia, he was dealt to the Swift Hotdogs where his star continued to glow even brighter. Together with import Ronnie Thompkins, the two led Swift to the championship of the 1993 Commissioner's Cup.During the year, he showed all and sundry what a prolific talent he would be by winning the Most Improved Player award while averaging 16.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game splitting time with the Realtors (22 games) and Swift Hotdogs (50) teams. He was also named to the Mythical Second Team as well as his 2nd All-Star berth and 2nd Slam Dunk trophy.
In 1994, he further elevated his game to newer heights by bagging the Best Player of the Conference
Philippine Basketball Association Best Player of the Conference Award
The Philippine Basketball Association's Best Player of the Conference Award is given to the best local player at the end of each conference...
award in the season-ending Governor's Cup which started a string of three straight BPC awards spilling over to the first two conferences of the 1995 season, thereby becoming the first three-time recipient of the award.
For the year, he led Swift Hotdogs to a runner-up finish in the Governor's Cup together with import Herb Jones. He was named to his 3rd consecutive All-Star and at season's end, he was amply rewarded with a berth in the Mythical First Team after posting averages of 19.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game in 71 games.
In 1995, Meneses won the prestigious Most Valuable Player award
Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player award
The Philippine Basketball Association awards the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season. The winner is selected via votes from the press, players, coaches and top PBA officials....
after only four years in the league when he averaged a career-high 20.0 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 3.3 rebounds per game in 70 games. He made it once again to the Mythical First Team, his 4th straight All-Star appearance where he won the first of his record-setting 4 All-Star MVP awards, and the BPC awards of the first two conferences, the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups as well as the Pro Basketball Player of the Year award from both the PSA and SCOOP Awards giving bodies. By winning the BPC awards of the first two conferences, he became the first multiple, as well as three-time winner, of the said award.
He also led his team, re-christened as Sunkist Orange Juice, to the championship of both the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups (with Ronnie Grandison
Ronnie Grandison
Ron Calvin Grandison is a former basketball player, who attended University of California, Irvine and University of New Orleans...
as import). After that, the coveted Grand Slam was beckoning. However, a loss to the Shell Rimula-X team in the playoff for the second finals berth denied them a shot at clinching what would have been only the 4th Grand Slam during the time in the league after the Crispa Redmanizers
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
(1976 and 1983), and 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...
(1989). They eventually finished 2nd runner-up with import Stevin Smith
Stevin Smith
Stevin L. Smith is an American professional basketball player and former college star, who is also known for his involvement in the 1994 Arizona State point-shaving scandal.- Early life :...
in tow. In the process, he also lost the BPC award to former teammate Caidic for the conference denying him a sweep of the individual awards for the year (season MVP, All-Star MVP, BPC awards, Mythical First Team).
In 1996, he made it to the 5,000-point club becoming the 5th fastest player to do so. He also became the first local player in ten years to win both the scoring and assists titles, averaging 19.6 and 6.6, respectively, while adding 4.0 rebounds per game in 37 games. He also made his 5th straight All-Star appearance. However, the team bombed out in all 3 conferences failing to make it past the elimination round.
In 1997, he made it to his 6th straight All-Star game and averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 37 games. However, his team, re-christened again as Pop Cola Bottlers, continued its downfall, failing to make it past the elimination round of all 3 conferences for the 2nd straight year.
The 1998 season saw somewhat of a re-birth not only for Meneses but for the team as they posted two 2nd runner-up finishes in the All-Filipino Cup and Commissioner's Cup (with long-time Philippines resident Norman Black
Norman Black
Norman Augustus Black is an American retired professional basketball player in the CBA, NBA, and PBA who has since settled in the Philippines. He is also a former head coach of the San Miguel Beermen, Mobiline Phone Pals, Pop Cola 800s, and Sta. Lucia Realtors...
as import). But his inclusion in the 1998 Centennial team that represented the country in the 21st William Jones Cup
William Jones Cup
The R. William Jones Cup is an international basketball tournament held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. It was named after Renato William Jones, a basketball promoter and one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation .The Jones Cup tournament started in 1977 and is held annually...
(Champions) and the 13th Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
(Bronze Medal), spelled doom for the team in the Governor's Cup as it again failed to make the Final Four.
Individually, however, Meneses had another outstanding year. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game in 30 games. He was also a Member of the PBA All-Star team that went up against the NBA’s Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, Chris Gatling
Chris Gatling
Chris Raymond Gatling is a retired American professional basketball player, having played for numerous NBA teams from 1991 to 2002...
and company in the "Shaq-a-rap Tour" as well as the Centennial team that went up against various NCAA Division I schools in the US as part of the country’s preparation for the 13th Asian Games. He also made it to his 7th straight All-Star game where he won his 2nd All-Star MVP, becoming the first player to win multiple All-Star MVP awards. He was later on joined by Benjie Paras
Benjie Paras
Venancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...
who won both the 1989 ROY and MVP awards and repeated as MVP in 1999, who was a two-time All-Star MVP. The two were joined in the elite club much later by Asi Taulava
Asi Taulava
Pauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
and Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
who split the All-Star MVP award from 2004–2007, Taulava winning it in even-numbered years in 2004 and 2006 and Helterbrand bagging it in odd-numbered years in 2005 and 2007.
Barangay Ginebra Kings
In 1999, after months of speculation, Meneses was finally dealt to crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra KingsBarangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
for Luis Manuel "Noli" Locsin
Noli Locsin
Manuel Luis Locsin , better known as Noli Locsin, is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. He spent most of his career for the Ginebra San Miguel franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association...
. For the year, Meneses established himself as the Kings go-to-guy by averaging 16.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in 32 games. He was also voted as a starter to the 1999 All-Star game but was unable to play due to injury.
The year 2000 was another good year for Meneses as he further cemented his place in the annals of the PBA as well as the PBL. He was selected as part of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players as well as the PBL’s 12 Greatest Legacy Team. He again made another All-Star appearance, his 8th, where he won his 3rd All-Star MVP award. For the season, Meneses averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in 32 games.
Meneses had four solid seasons with the Kings. In 2001, there were reports at the start of the year that Meneses would be traded for Mark Telan
Mark Telan
Mark Clemence Telan is a Filipino professional basketball player who last suited up for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. A former De La Salle Green Archer, he was 2-time UAAP basketball Most Valuable Player. Telan entered the professional league in 1999...
. However, just 3 games into the All-Filipino Cup, Meneses showed that he intends to stay with the franchise as he won Player of the Week honors for the period February 6-11, 2001. However, with injuries, as well as the arrival of rookie guard Fil-American Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, Meneses' minutes constantly diminished that eventually led to his transfer to FedEx, a rookie team that took over from the defunct Tanduay club. The highlight of his stay with the San Miguel Corporation-owned company was when the Kings made its first finals appearance in four years, when they lost to sister club San Miguel Beer in the All-Filipino Cup finals, 4-2. Meneses posted averages of 11.2 points, 10th-best 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 49 games for the year 2001 with Barangay Ginebra, his lowest averages since entering the league in 1992.
FedEx Express
Meneses was traded in 2002 from Ginebra to rookie team FedEx ExpressAir21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
for a future draft pick. His career reemerged during his two year stay with the team. At the Express team, he was reunited with Derrick Pumaren
Derrick Pumaren
Frederick S. Pumaren, better known as Derrick Pumaren, is a Filipino basketball coach.-Career:Derrick Pumaren was a member of the UE Red Warrior 1978 and 1979 Championship Teams, PBA Consultant, and a National Team Coach...
, his coach at Swift during their glory year in 1995. He again led the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game (15 games) on the way to a season averages of 12.4 points, 1.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in 22 games (combined average while playing for FedEx and Ginebra), his second lowest scoring averages. He was also named Player of the Week for the period July 29 – August 4, 2002.
In 2003, he was named to the PBL’s Top 20 Players for his exploits at Magnolia, Burger City, and Swift Hotdogs. He was also a three-time recipient of the Player of the Week award, for the periods March 10–16, 2003, March 17–23, 2003 and April 14–20, 2003. He also became the first local player in 2 years to score at least 20 points in a quarter when he scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter of FedEx victory over Ginebra. Meneses was voted into his 9th All-Star game where he was named as the All-Star MVP in 2003, his 4th overall, and also led the Express to a third-place finish in the 2003 PBA Invitationals. He was also the first recipient of the Sportsman of the Year award together with Benjie Paras
Benjie Paras
Venancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...
and Rob Johnson.
He also became a sort of a 3rd-quarter man for the FedEx team as he scored: (a) 15 points vs. San Miguel Beer on April 16, 2003, (b) 16 points against Red Bull on April 27, 2003, (c) 20 points contra Ginebra on May 2, 2003, (d) 12 points opposite Talk 'N Text on May 9, 2003 and (e) 19 points for the Commissioners All-Stars versus the Governors All-Stars in the June 1, 2003 All-Star game.
He finished the year as the Express scoring leader and the league's 8th leading scorer with an average of 15.9 points per game in nearly an average of 30 minutes playing time. He added 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game for the season and saw him reached the 2,000 assists club, the 19th player to do so.
2004 saw him reach the 9,000-point plateau. He also made his 10th and last All-Star appearance during the year becoming the North team’s leading vote-getter and the 2nd leading vote-getter for the All-Star festivities behind Danny Seigle
Danny Seigle
Daniel Charles Seigle is a Filipino American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barako Bull Energy. A 6'6", 205-lb. swingman, he is fondly called Dynamite Danny and Danny S. by many...
. By making it to his 10th All-Star, he became only the third player with at least 10 appearances in the mid-year festivities after Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is also a member of the 25 Best Players of all Time of PBA and Philippine men's national basketball team of the 1994...
and Patrimonio.
He again flashed his 3rd quarter explosion by scoring 13 points on March 17, 2004 in a game against the Alaska Aces. He also found his way playing for his 6th team, the Red Bull franchise, where he was reunited with former coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao
Yeng Guiao
Joseller "Yeng" Guiao is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association, and was also the head coach of the Philippine National Basketball Team. Guiao won four PBA titles since starting his head coaching job for Swift in...
.
Red Bull Barako
Before the start of the revised 2004-2005 season, Meneses was traded by FedEx to Red Bull in exchange for Homer SeHomer Se
Homer Se is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born on May 5, 1987 at Albay, Bicol, Philippines. He currently plays for the Shopinas.com Clickers.-Player Profile:...
. He started out his career with Red Bull by playing at the 4th Shell Rimula Invitational Basketball Tournament (Sultan's Cup). However, injuries hampered Meneses' first few games with the Barakos. But he eventually played 51 games for the team during the year where he averaged 9.3 ppg, 2.12 apg and 2.02 rpg. In the 2005-2006 season, Meneses was put on the reserve list.
In 2005, he played for the Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan
Baby Dalupan
Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan is a Filipino former basketball coach and player. He is the son of University of the East founder Dr. Francisco T...
-coached TM PBA Legends that defeated the TM PBA Greats, 96-92, in an exhibition match where he scored 21 points, second only to Caidic's topscore of 30 points. The game was the featured event of the league’s 30th year anniversary festivities. The two teams were made up of the 25 Greatest Players that were chosen by coaches Dalupan and ex-Senator Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
. Incidentally, Meneses was one of only 4 active players then, the other three being Codiñera, Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.He is known by many...
and Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers...
.
Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
After the arrival of Derrick PumarenDerrick Pumaren
Frederick S. Pumaren, better known as Derrick Pumaren, is a Filipino basketball coach.-Career:Derrick Pumaren was a member of the UE Red Warrior 1978 and 1979 Championship Teams, PBA Consultant, and a National Team Coach...
as coach of the Phone Pals in the 2006 Philippine Cup, the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals signed Meneses to a contract, erasing speculations of Meneses' possible retirement. At Talk 'N Text, he played sparingly in a reserve role while showing some decent games during the tournament. He played 8 games, with 1 start, for the Phone Pals in the 2006 Philippine Cup after sitting out the first conference, averaging 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, his lowest averages in his entire career. During the 2006-2007 off-season, his contract was not anymore renewed by Talk 'N Text.
Despite his brilliant career defined by numerous individual awards and championships as well as being a national team player on various occasions, he has become quite a journeyman having already played for 7 teams starting out with the Presto Ice Cream team drifting to Sta. Lucia, Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola, Barangay Ginebra, FedEx Express, Red Bull and lastly Talk 'N Text.
In 2006, Meneses announced his retirement finishing his career with 9,453 points, 1,896 rebounds and 2,129 assists in 590 games where he logged 19,135 minutes of playing time, 174 steals, 270 blocks and shooting averages of 0.287 3-PT FG%, 0.470 FG% and .749 FT%.
International career
In the 1980s, Meneses was a many-time member of the RP National Team alongside Nelson AsaytonoNelson Asaytono
Nelson Asaytono is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association, also known as "The Bull" for his monster dunks...
and Jun Limpot
Jun Limpot
Zandro P. Limpot, Jr. , also known as "The Main Man" Jun Limpot, is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.- Career :...
. In 1989 and 1991, Meneses was part of the RP Team that played in the 15th (runner-up) and 16th (champions) editions of the SEA Games.
In 1998, Meneses was named into the Philippine Centennial Team
Philippine Centennial Team
The Philippine Centennial Team was the nickname of the Philippine Basketball Association -backed national basketball team in 1998. The team consists of professional players in the country that includes national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being...
for the Asian Games in Bangkok. With Meneses and former Sunkist teammate Duremdes sharing minutes in the shooting guard/small forward spot, the country took home a bronze medal in the said event.
He was also a part of the Philippine Team that won the 1998 edition of the Jones Cup held in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2004, he also played in the 4th Shell Rimula Invitational Basketball Tournament (Sultan's Cup) in Brunei where he started his career with the Red Bull Barako team.
PBA Career Statistics
|-| align="left" | 1992
1992 PBA season
The 1992 PBA season was the 18th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*PBA Commissioner Rudy Salud, stepped down from his post, after four successful years of guiding the league at its highest level, PBA chairman Rey Marquez succeeded Atty.Salud as the new PBA...
| align="left" | Presto
Great Taste Coffee Makers
Great Taste Coffee was one of the Pioneer teams in the Philippine Basketball Association . The company was then known as the Consolidated Foods Corporation and their chief products included well known brands like Presto Ice Cream, N-Rich Coffee Cream, Jack & Jill Fun Snacks, Great Taste Coffee...
| 39 || 26.10 || .511 || .304 || .802 || 2.15 || 1.59 || 0.21 || 0.62 || 17.69
|-
| align="left" | 1993
1993 PBA season
The 1993 PBA season was the 19th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable events:*The league moves to its new home, the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.*The league unveils their new logo during the opening ceremonies.*Sta...
| align="left" | Sta. Lucia
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
| 22 || 36.82 || .538 || .333 || .822 || 3.18 || 3.55 || 0.27 || 0.73 || 18.55
|-
| align="left" | 1993
1993 PBA season
The 1993 PBA season was the 19th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable events:*The league moves to its new home, the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.*The league unveils their new logo during the opening ceremonies.*Sta...
| align="left" | Swift Mighty Meaty
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 50 || 29.74 || .583 || .305 || .762 || 2.54 || 2.74 || 0.22 || 0.74 || 15.30
|-
| align="left" | 1994
1994 PBA season
The 1994 PBA season was the 20th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:The San Miguel Beermen won the All-Filipino championship over Coney Island and represented the country in the 1994 Asian Games. Amateur standouts Marlou Aquino and Kenneth Duremdes join the RP-San...
| align="left" | Swift Mighty Meaty
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 71 || 36.46 || .552 || .209 || .820 || 4.59 || 3.10 || 0.18 || 0.52 || 19.56
|-
| align="left" | 1995
1995 PBA season
The 1995 PBA season was the 21st season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA returned to the Araneta Coliseum, after a decade of absence, with the scheduled games on Friday being held at the Big Dome....
| align="left" | Sunkist Orange Juice
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 70 || 36.93 || .500 || .325 || .788 || 3.34 || 5.41 || 0.31 || 0.60 || 20.03
|-
| align="left" | 1996
1996 PBA season
-Finals results:*PBA Governors Cup Finals: Alaska Milkmen def. Ginebra San Miguel , 4 games to 1.*Third place: Formula Shell -Finals results:*PBA Governors Cup Finals: (1) Alaska Milkmen (8-3) def. (4) Ginebra San Miguel (7-4), 4 games to 1.*Third place: Formula Shell -Finals results:*PBA...
| align="left" | Sunkist Orange Juice
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 37 || 39.81 || .469 || .275 || .764 || 4.00 || 6.65 || 0.70 || 0.46 || 19.59
|-
| align="left" | 1997
1997 PBA season
The 1997 PBA season was the 23rd season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The entry of Fil-Americans in the PBA, for the first time in league history, the top two picks of the Annual Rookie draft was born outside the Philippines, the 6-9 Andrew John Seigle, a discovery...
| align="left" | Pop Cola
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 38 || 35.68 || .473 || .345 || .782 || 3.63 || 5.13 || 0.42 || 0.68 || 17.08
|-
| align="left" | 1998
1998 PBA season
The 1998 PBA season was the 24th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA is in their toughest challenge for the year, with the formation of a new league called Metropolitan Basketball Association, backed by the giant network ABS-CBN, is perceived to be a threat...
| align="left" | Pop Cola
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
| 30 || 36.60 || .484 || .280 || .698 || 3.20 || 4.33 || 0.33 || 0.47 || 17.63
|-
| align="left" | 1999
1999 PBA season
The 1999 PBA season was the 25th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The league transferred from the Cuneta Astrodome to the PhilSports Arena as their main playing venue....
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
Barangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
| 32 || 38.41 || .413 || .212 || .686 || 3.66 || 4.38 || 0.41 || 0.31 || 16.72
|-
| align="left" | 2000
2000 PBA season
The 2000 PBA season was the 26th of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*PBA's TV partner, Vintage Television was absorbed by Viva Entertainment.*Batang Red Bull Energizers entered the league as an expansion team....
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
Barangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
| 32 || 34.00 || .328 || .262 || .619 || 3.53 || 3.38 || 0.31 || 0.19 || 13.34
|-
| align="left" | 2001
2001 PBA season
The 2001 PBA season was the 27th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*During the preseason, Tanduay made soundwaves in the PBA when they signed Danny Ildefonso of corporate rival San Miguel Beermen a whopping 16-year, 98 million peso offersheet...
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra
Barangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
| 49 || 29.71 || .407 || .322 || .674 || 3.14 || 3.20 || 0.27 || 0.37 || 11.18
|-
| align="left" | 2002
2002 PBA season
-Notable occurrences:*The Tanduay Rhum Masters left the league after three seasons. Their franchise was taken over by the FedEx Express.*Republic Flour Mills sold its subsidiary COSMOS Bottlers Corporation to food company giant San Miguel Corporation. The move also absorbed the Pop Cola Panthers,...
| align="left" | Barangay Ginebra/FedEx Express
Barangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
| 22 || 24.86 || .445 || .344 || .792 || 2.55 || 1.86 || 0.18 || 0.09 || 12.41
|-
| align="left" | 2003
2003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
| align="left" | FedEx Express
| 39 || 29.64 || .392 || .223 || .638 || 2.82 || 2.97 || 0.26 || 0.41 || 15.87
|-
| align="left" | 2004-05
2004-05 PBA season
The 2004-05 PBA season is the 30th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Instead of the usual calendar year of February-December, the league changed its schedule to the current October-July format, while limiting the number of conferences from three to two...
| align="left" | FedEx Express/Red Bull Barako
| 51 || 22.49 || .422 || .331 || .584 || 2.02 || 2.12 || 0.22 || 0.10 || 9.29
|-
| align="left" | 2005-06
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...
| align="left" | Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
| 8 || 12.00 || .300 || .143 || .500 || 2.50 || 1.50 || 0.12 || 0.00 || 2.50
|-
| Career
| align="left" |
| 590 || 32.43 || .470 || .287 || .749 || 3.21 || 3.61 || 0.29 || 0.46 || 16.02
|-
Post-PBA Career
After Meneses finished his career in the PBA, he joined the 2008 PBA Legends US Grand Reunion Tour where he played alongside such basketball greats like former Toyota players Francis ArnaizFrancis Arnaiz
Francis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
, Ramon Fernandez
Ramón Fernández
Ramon S. Fernandez is generally regarded as the greatest basketball player produced by the Philippine Basketball Association. Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA championships bagged...
, Tim Coloso and Abe King
Abe King
Abe King, Jr. was a Filipino basketball player who was part of the champion Philippine Basketball Association ballclub Toyota Tamaraws. He was the starting power center of 1976 MICAA Champion Crown Motors before his mother team, the Toyota Tamaraws called upon his services at the start of the...
(the organizer of the event) and old Crispa mainstays Abet Guidaben
Abet Guidaben
Alberto "Abet" Guidaben is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983...
, Atoy Co
Atoy Co
Fortunato Co, Jr., better known as Atoy Co, is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player and actor who was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award, in 1979 and a 9-time Mythical First...
, Philip Cezar
Philip Cezar
Philip "The Scholar" Cezar is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1980. He was also a many-time Philippine national team player in...
, Bernie Fabiosa
Bernie Fabiosa
Bernard "Tough Job" Fabiosa is a Filipino athlete who played basketball for the Crispa Redmanizers in the Philippine Basketball Association.-Career:Fabiosa was a member of the 1974 RP Youth Team and a graduate of the University of the East...
and Bogs Adornado
Bogs Adornado
William "Bogs" Adornado is a former Filipino athlete who played basketball in both the amateur and professional ranks. He made his mark playing in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1975 to 1987...
.
Meneses played for the Ohana Harbor-Toyota team coached by Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
(who was sidelined by an injury and was replaced by Bong Alvarez in the starting line-up) while the Martin Purefoods-Crispa team was handled by coach Cris Calilan. The two teams figured in a four-game series each winning two games apiece.
Toyota scored a 91-89 win in the series opener at the Logan High School gym in Union City on March 8 before Crispa got even the next day with a 96-91 victory at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. Crispa made it two in a row with a 104-101 victory in Carson City before Toyota squared the series at 2-2, pulling off a 94-86 triumph in San Diego.
Guidaben, still showing some spring in his legs at 55, fired 21 points to lead all scorers in the Carson City contest. Co and Ronnie Magsanoc
Ronnie Magsanoc
Ronald "Ronnie" Magsanoc is a former Filipino professional basketball point guard. He was the former assistant coach of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and a color commentator for the television coverage of the Philippine Basketball Association...
pumped in 19 apiece with Jojo Lastimosa
Jojo Lastimosa
Isabelo Lastimosa, Jr. , better known as Jojo Lastimosa and by his nickname "Jolas", is a former Filipino professional basketball player from Cagayan de Oro City who played in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, the Alaska Aces and the Pop Cola Panthers from 1988-2003...
adding 16, Yoyoy Villamin 11 and Adornado 10. Meneses rattled in 20 points to pace Toyota, which also drew double-digit outputs from Gerry Esplana and Manny Victorino.
In San Diego, Meneses once again topscored for Toyota with 23 with Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is also a member of the 25 Best Players of all Time of PBA and Philippine men's national basketball team of the 1994...
and Coloso contributing 11 apiece, Olsen Racela
Olsen Racela
, better known as , is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also a part time analyst, assistant coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters, and the current head coach of the Philippines under-16 basketball team. He is considered the best point...
9 and Fernandez and Arnaiz with 8 each. The losing team drew double-digit outputs from Magsanoc, Villamin, Guidaben and Romy dela Rosa.
Others who played for Crispa were Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
and Sonny Cabatu
Sonny Cabatu
Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu Sr. , is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association and was the very first draft pick of the league in 1985. He is also the father of current Philippine Patriots player Junjun Cabatu.-References:...
. Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
played the first two games and rushed back to Manila to attend to a personal matter. On the other hand, Manny Paner, Art dela Cruz, Hector Calma
Hector Calma
Hector Calma is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. At 5 feet and 6 inches, he played at the point guard position and was most notably associated with the San Miguel Beer team of the Philippine Basketball Association....
, Marte Saldaña and Yves Dignadice were the other players of Toyota.
Meneses also figured in the one-on-one series where he won over Alvarez, 6-2.
New career
After retiring from the PBA, Meneses ventured into coaching. He first became a part of the coaching staff of Burger King in the PBL together with Codiñera ably assisting head coach Allan Gregorio. http://www.ngetstudio.com/PBL/news/?id=3786 At present, he is the new head coach of his alma mater, JRU Heavy Bombers.NCAA
Meneses is now the new head coach of the Heavy Bombers signed up on November 4, 2009. He made his debut as JRU's head coach in the 16th Father Martin's Cup. In the 86th season of the NCAA, Meneses led his team to a 12-4 record after the elimination round, good for solo third behind early finalist San Beda Red Lions (16-0) and the defending champions San Sebastian Golden Stags (13-3). In the stepladder semifinals, his Bombers defeated 4th-placer Mapua Cardinals (9-7), 60-54, before bowing to the defending champions San Sebastian Golden Stags 61-52, as they finished in third place.Collegiate record
| Season | |Team | | Eliminations | | Playoffs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | Finish | PG | W | L | PCT | Results | ||
| 2010 NCAA Season 86 -Bracket:-Women's tournament:The semifinals in the women's division was restarted after the league forfeited all the games that April Ann Sartin and Ronnery dela Cruz of Perpetual Help and Arianne Yap and Janel Lim of St. Benilde played for eligibility violations... |
JRU JRU Heavy Bombers The JRU Heavy Bombers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball team of the Jose Rizal University.They currently have the longest championship drought in the NCAA with 38 title-less seasons.... |
12 | 4 | .750 | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won over Mapua in the First Round,Lost to San Sebastian in the Semifinals |
| 2011 NCAA Season 87 -Awards:*Most Valuable Player: Calvin Abueva, San Sebastian College-Recoletos*Rookie of the Year: Josan Nimes, Mapua Institute of Technology-Bracket:-Awards:*Most Valuable Player: Rey Nambatac, Colegio de San Juan de Letran... |
JRU JRU Heavy Bombers The JRU Heavy Bombers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball team of the Jose Rizal University.They currently have the longest championship drought in the NCAA with 38 title-less seasons.... |
9 | 9 | .500 | 4th | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to San Beda in the Semifinals |
| Totals | 21 | 13 | .617 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 0 championship | ||
Philippine Basketball Association
- 1-time Most Valuable Player (1995)
- 4-time All-Star Game MVP (1995, 1998, 2000, 2003)
- 10-time All-Star (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004; in 1999, he was voted as a starter but failed to play due to an injury)
- 2-time Mythical First Team Selection (1994, 1995)
- 1-time Mythical Second Team Selection (1993)
- 1-time Most Improved Player (1993)
- 2-time Slam Dunk Champion (1992, 1993)
- 3-time Best Player of the Conference (1994 Governors Cup, 1995 All-Filipino Cup, 1995 Commissioners Cup)
- PRO Basketball Player of the Year (PSA Awards and SCOOP Awards in 1995)
- Member of the PBA's 25 Greatest Players
- Member, 5,000-point and 9,000 point clubs
- Member, 2,000-assists club
- PBA Commissioner's Cup Champions (1993, 1995)
- PBA All-Filipino Cup Champions (1995)
Philippine Basketball League
- Member of the PBL's 12 Greatest Legacy Team (2000)
- Member of the PBL's Top 20 Players of All-Time (2003)
Philippine National Team/International Career
- 1989 RP Youth Team Member
- 1989 South East Asian Games, Runner-up (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
- 1991 South East Asian Games, Champion (Manila, Philippines)
- 1998 William Jones CupWilliam Jones CupThe R. William Jones Cup is an international basketball tournament held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. It was named after Renato William Jones, a basketball promoter and one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation .The Jones Cup tournament started in 1977 and is held annually...
, Champion (Taipei, Taiwan) - 1998 Asian Games1998 Asian GamesThe 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
, Bronze Medal (Bangkok, Thailand) - 1998 US Tour versus US NCAA Division I teams
- 1998 Member of the PBA Selection in the "Shaq-a-Rap Tour"
- 2004 4th Shell Rimula Invitational Basketball Tournament (Darussalam, Brunei)
Quotes
- "I felt back then that Vergel had the makings of a Michael Jordan, if only he had more dedication to the game. When I first saw him, I told him, 'Vergel, sayang ka. Kung magpapa-kundisyon ka, puwede kang maglaro ng point guard, ang laki ng advantage mo. Pero kung magpo-point guard ka, kailangan nasa kundisyon ka.' (Vergel, you could do better. If you condition yourself properly, you could play point guard and have a very big advantage. However, if you'll play point guard, you need to be in good shape.) The talent that Vergel has is very rare. I think he himself doesn't know how good he is. Sayang (Too bad), we wouldn't even know how good he could have been. His potential, I think, was never fulfilled." (Tommy ManotocTommy ManotocTommy Manotoc is a former Filipino professional basketball coach in the PBA, for the U/Tex Wranglers, San Miguel Beer, Crispa Redmanizers, and the Mobiline Phone Pals and later became deputy commissioner of the PBA after Mariano Yenko died. He was also a former broadcaster for the PBA on Viva TV...
, The First 25 PBA Yearbook)
- "Vergel is one of the best one-on-one players in the league, right up there with Samboy Lim. It's very hard to read his moves, very hard to defend against him. He was not really that polished when he came into the league but the skills were there. He was a super player in college. His outside shooting was not really prolific but he became a better player because he managed to develop his shooting range. While Samboy was more spectacular and faster, Vergel often found the open man. He's a better passer." (Norman BlackNorman BlackNorman Augustus Black is an American retired professional basketball player in the CBA, NBA, and PBA who has since settled in the Philippines. He is also a former head coach of the San Miguel Beermen, Mobiline Phone Pals, Pop Cola 800s, and Sta. Lucia Realtors...
who coached Meneses at Pop Cola, The First 25 PBA Yearbook)
- Meneses on the PBA right now: "Basketball in the Philippines has changed a lot. Gone are the days a superb one-on-one player could single-handedly win a game. Marami nang paraan ngayon para mapigil ang mga player na dati ay namamayani sa one-on-one. At alam ito ng lahat. (There are various ways now to defend players who used to rule on one-on-ones. Everybody knows this.) There are exceptions but these are only for the best and the imports as well. Mahirap talagang maka-porma sa (It's really difficult to play against a) double team or triple team. The entry of Fil-Am cagers also made it very difficult to win games. Nakaka-inggit ang mga player na mayroong mga kasama na nado-double o nati-triple team. (Players who have teammates who are constantly double or triple-teamed are always the envy of others.)
Legacy of the Aerial Voyager
After Danny Florencio there was Samboy Lim, and after Samboy Lim there's Vergel Meneses. On the time line of PBA innovators, aerial artists who stretched the limits of what could be done on and above the floor, Meneses holds a respectable place.In the post-Samboy Lim era, the 6-foot-3 Meneses continued to move the game off the floor on the strength of his wondrous legs, then finished plays with the creativity of his boundless skills. He personifies hang time, making up moves in mid-air before scoring with a graceful shot off the glass or a twisting lay up.
His aerial acrobatics continued to dazzle PBA fans, winning fans nationwide and making his nickname, Aerial Voyager, familiar around the country. Vergel, like Samboy, seems to defy gravity as he soars to the basket on the fly. Opponents know what Vergel can do, but they never know how he's going to do it - and that makes him virtually impossible to stop.
"In the eyes of most coaches today, there is no player as dangerous on the offense as Vergel," wrote the PBA Annual. "The reason is simple. The 1995 league MVP can break down opposing teams in so many ways, from his crowd-pleasing drives to his long jumpers to his ability to see the floor and hit open teammates with the perfect pass."
Sunkist almost completed a Grand Slam in 1995, the year the former Jose Rizal College Bomber airwalked his way head and shoulders above the rest and won the Most Valuable Player award.
The RFM franchise surrounded the flamboyant forward with a horde of talents to ensure winning, including a clone - Kenneth Duremdes - who would later turn out to be an equally great player and a fellow member of the elite MVP club.
One of Vergel's biggest assets aside from his aerial acrobatics is his big fighting heart. He is a big time player who is not afraid to seek the ball when the chips are down. He is a player who is willing to take the last shot and has been successful most of the time.
Trivia
- Meneses was a former seminarian at the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Guiguinto, BulacanBulacanBulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
in the early 1980s together with his brother Vic. It was at this seminary where he initially honed his basketball career. His brother has since emigrated to Canada. - On August 27, 2010, Meneses was chosen as one of the PBA Legends to play in the 2010 NBA Asia Challenge which featured NBA greats Gary PaytonGary PaytonGary Dwayne Payton is a former American professional basketball point guard. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals...
, Glen RiceGlen RiceGlen Anthony Rice is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. The 6'8" tall Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star guard/forward, ranking 11th in NBA history with 1,559 three-point field goals made during his 15-year career. As a player, Rice won an NCAA Men's Division...
, Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
and Mitch RichmondMitch RichmondMitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
, NBA D-Leaguers Darnell Lazare, Chris McCray, Richie FrahmRichie FrahmRichie Frahm is an American professional basketball player.After he went undrafted following a college career at Gonzaga University and brief overseas stints, among others in the Philippine Basketball Association, and in Turkey, the 6'5" shooting guard signed with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2003,...
and Mark Tyndale, PBA legends Alvin PatrimonioAlvin PatrimonioAlvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
, Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
, Atoy CoAtoy CoFortunato Co, Jr., better known as Atoy Co, is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player and actor who was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award, in 1979 and a 9-time Mythical First...
, Benjie ParasBenjie ParasVenancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...
and Ronnie MagsanocRonnie MagsanocRonald "Ronnie" Magsanoc is a former Filipino professional basketball point guard. He was the former assistant coach of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and a color commentator for the television coverage of the Philippine Basketball Association...
and current PBA stars Arwind SantosArwind SantosArwind Santos is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters. He also played college hoops at Far Eastern University in the UAAP and the Magnolia Ice Cream Spinners in the Philippine Basketball League...
, Asi TaulavaAsi TaulavaPauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
, LA TenorioLA TenorioLewis Alfred V. Tenorio , better known as L.A. Tenorio, is a Filipino professional basketball point guard who currently plays for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, Ronald TubidRonald TubidRonald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, Dondon HontiverosDondon HontiverosDonaldo "Dondon" Hontiveros is a Filipino professional basketball player actively playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He has a son named Isaiah with singer and fellow Cebu native Gail Blanco.A devout Christian, Hontiveros studied and honed his basketball...
and Rico MaierhoferRico MaierhoferPaul Rico Maierhofer is a Filipino-Austrian professional basketball player who will play for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in 2009....
. Meneses was a member of the Red Team coached by Alaska's Tim ConeTim ConeEarl Timothy Cone, better known as Tim Cone, is an American head coach of B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is known for leading the Aces to 13 PBA titles in its franchise history while leading the 1996 Milkmen to a rare PBA Grandslam. He also once coached the Philippine...
that went up against the White team of San Miguel coach Siot TanquincenSiot TanquincenBethune "Siot" Tanquingcen is a Filipino professional basketball assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Prior to his current role, he was former player for the UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP, the Sunkist Orange Juicers and the San Miguel Beermen in...
.
External links
- http://www.pba.ph
- http://www.mypbl.com/20PBLplayers.shtml
- http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=PBALEGENDS&s=basketball&t=c
- http://www.chanrobles.com/ncaabasketballrivalries.html