Vince Hizon
Encyclopedia
Vicente Paul Hizon, is an American-born retired Filipino
professional basketball
player.
. The Hizon-Palma Gil family has roots in Davao Oriental
province and Davao City
in the Philippines. He grew up in Stanton, California
and attended Mater Dei High School
in Santa Ana, California
. Showing promise as a basketball player in high school, he went on to play basketball at Cypress College
in Cypress, California
(1988–1990) before earning a basketball scholarship to Boise State University
(1991) and later Biola University
(1992), before ending his college basketball career as star player with the Ateneo Blue Eagles
during his UAAP years 1993-94.
Playing sparingly as a rookie in his one year for Purefoods in 1994, he asked and was traded to Ginebra San Miguel
for Nonoy Chuatico and a first round draft pick. Playing for then-playing coach Robert Jaworski
's never-say-die system, Hizon flourished and became the most popular player in the league as well as the most popular sports figure in the Philippines at the time, according to the A.C. Nielsen Asian Rim Survey in 1998.
Hizon spent most of his 11 year pro career for the Ginebra (also known as Gordon's Gin or Ginebra Na!) franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association
. He won 1 PBL title, 4 PBA titles, one SouthEast Asian Games gold medal and 1 USBL championship throughout the course of his stellar career. He was even named as part of the PBA's Mythical 5 selection in 1997. Hizon was known for his clutch three point shooting and his slashing drives to the basket.
Having accomplished so much on the court, while also playing for the Philippine National Team competing internationally, he was enticed to create a sports show for the ABS-CBN
television network. This show was shown worldwide through the Filipino Channel. Hizon was also a much sought after commercial personality doing numerous advertisements in television and print. Since then he has also had a show on MTV Philippines known as MTV bolahan.
When Robert Jaworski (along with his son, Robert "Dodot" Jaworski) retired in 1999 from the Ginebra team, Hizon bolted the PBA with the enticing offer of the Iloilo MegaVoltz in the Metropolitan Basketball Association
. At the time, the contract turned out to be the biggest contract in Philippine basketball history. Unhappy with the direction of the league, Hizon decided to re-join the PBA as a member of the Red Bull Barakos in 2002 and played for two years. In 2004, he joined the Pennsylvania Valleydawgs
in the United States Basketball League
and will forever be in the history books as the first Filipino player to play professionally in the United States. His team, coached by popular Darryl Dawkins, known as 'Chocolate Thunder' in the National Basketball Association, won the USBL crown that year.
He is married to sports broadcaster (the first female anchor of the PBA) and writer Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
to whom he proposed on air Araneta Coliseum
during halftime of a game in June 2003. That unique and memorable proposal was a first in PBA and Araneta Coliseum history and was witnessed by thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers. They have two boys together.
Since retirement from basketball with the 2006 disbanding of the Valleydawgs, Hizon has shifted into a new venture, his Par Excellence Consultancy Firm and involvement with numerous environmental projects throughout the Philippines.
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
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.
Biography
Vince Hizon was born 25 November 1970 to José Palma-Gil Hizon and Harriet M. (Bowie) Hizon in Orange County, CaliforniaOrange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. The Hizon-Palma Gil family has roots in Davao Oriental
Davao Oriental
Davao Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Mati and borders Compostela Valley to the west, and Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north. Davao Oriental is the easternmost province of the country with Pusan Point as the easternmost...
province and Davao City
Davao City
The City of Davao is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its international airport and seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the Philippines....
in the Philippines. He grew up in Stanton, California
Stanton, California
Stanton is a city located in western Orange County, California. The population was 38,186 at the 2010 census, up from 37,403 at the 2000 census. Like most of Orange County, it is more politically conservative compared to the rest of the state. The City was incorporated in 1956 and operates under...
and attended Mater Dei High School
Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. With an enrollment of 2,100 students Mater Dei High School is one of the largest Catholic high schools in the United States...
in Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
. Showing promise as a basketball player in high school, he went on to play basketball at Cypress College
Cypress College
Cypress College is a community college located in Cypress, California. Opened on September 12, 1966 , the southern California college offers a variety of general education , transfer courses , and 141 vocational programs leading to Associate's degrees and certificates.-Overview:Cypress College's...
in Cypress, California
Cypress, California
Cypress is a suburban city located in the northern region of Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 47,802 at the 2010 census.-History:...
(1988–1990) before earning a basketball scholarship to Boise State University
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
(1991) and later Biola University
Biola University
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...
(1992), before ending his college basketball career as star player with the Ateneo Blue Eagles
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...
during his UAAP years 1993-94.
Playing sparingly as a rookie in his one year for Purefoods in 1994, he asked and was traded to Ginebra San Miguel
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...
for Nonoy Chuatico and a first round draft pick. Playing for then-playing coach 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...
's never-say-die system, Hizon flourished and became the most popular player in the league as well as the most popular sports figure in the Philippines at the time, according to the A.C. Nielsen Asian Rim Survey in 1998.
Hizon spent most of his 11 year pro career for the Ginebra (also known as Gordon's Gin or Ginebra Na!) franchise 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 won 1 PBL title, 4 PBA titles, one SouthEast Asian Games gold medal and 1 USBL championship throughout the course of his stellar career. He was even named as part of the PBA's Mythical 5 selection in 1997. Hizon was known for his clutch three point shooting and his slashing drives to the basket.
Having accomplished so much on the court, while also playing for the Philippine National Team competing internationally, he was enticed to create a sports show for the ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
television network. This show was shown worldwide through the Filipino Channel. Hizon was also a much sought after commercial personality doing numerous advertisements in television and print. Since then he has also had a show on MTV Philippines known as MTV bolahan.
When Robert Jaworski (along with his son, Robert "Dodot" Jaworski) retired in 1999 from the Ginebra team, Hizon bolted the PBA with the enticing offer of the Iloilo MegaVoltz in the Metropolitan Basketball Association
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association or Metroball was a professional basketball league in the Philippines founded in 1998.The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association's plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing...
. At the time, the contract turned out to be the biggest contract in Philippine basketball history. Unhappy with the direction of the league, Hizon decided to re-join the PBA as a member of the Red Bull Barakos in 2002 and played for two years. In 2004, he joined the Pennsylvania Valleydawgs
Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs was a United States Basketball League team located in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It operated from 1999 to 2006....
in the United States Basketball League
United States Basketball League
The United States Basketball League , often abbreviated to the USBL, was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.-History:...
and will forever be in the history books as the first Filipino player to play professionally in the United States. His team, coached by popular Darryl Dawkins, known as 'Chocolate Thunder' in the National Basketball Association, won the USBL crown that year.
He is married to sports broadcaster (the first female anchor of the PBA) and writer Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
Patricia Bermudez-Hizon is a sportscaster and television host in the Philippines. She is the first ever female basketball television and radio anchor in the country. She started as a courtside reporter for the PBA in...
to whom he proposed on air Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
during halftime of a game in June 2003. That unique and memorable proposal was a first in PBA and Araneta Coliseum history and was witnessed by thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers. They have two boys together.
Since retirement from basketball with the 2006 disbanding of the Valleydawgs, Hizon has shifted into a new venture, his Par Excellence Consultancy Firm and involvement with numerous environmental projects throughout the Philippines.