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Build Me Up
In 1973, the Crispa-Floro franchise was rattled by a game-fixing scandal that resulted in the lifetime ban on six of its players. The team was left with two potent scorers in William Adornado and Fortunato 'Atoy' Co, and a triumvirate of former University of the East Warriors in Rudolfo Soriano, Johnny Revilla and Reynaldo Franco, and Danilo Pecache.
Team owner/manager Danny Floro, decided to build me up his team by taking on young players instead of veterans. Together with his coach, Virgilio 'Baby' Dalupan, they took in the core of the 1972 NCAA champions Jose Rizal College Heavy Bombers led by the Cezar brothers, Philip and David, 6-6 Ed Carvajal, Jesus Sta. Maria and Cristino Calilan. Acquired the services of 1974 RP Youth standouts Alfredo Hubalde, Bernard Fabiosa, and Virgilio dela Cruz. Recruited Visayan standouts Reynaldo Pages and a raw but promising talent in 6-5 Alberto Guidaben.
With the young talents blending in beautifully with the Crispa holdovers they won almost all tournaments that they participated in 1974 - the National Invitationals, the Palarong Pilipino and the MICAA Summer tournament. The last one they won against their rival the Komatsu Komets.
By the end of the year, Crispa-Floro together with eight other ballclubs decided to get away from the clutches of the Basketball Association of the Philippines by creating their own league, the Philippine Basketball Association(PBA). The creation of a new professional league means that its players would no longer represent the country in international competitions. With at least 11 players in its fold who wore the Philippine jersey one time or another, it presented a new dilemna within the organization.
In the 1974 Asian Games wherein the team placed fourth, six members of the team came from Crispa - Adornado, P. Cezar, Co, Guidaben, Revilla and Soriano. So when Danny Floro first brought out the idea of a professional league, his players were hesitant to join. A few players wanted to turn pro but the majority were quiet about it. Some of them are clinging to the idea of playing in the Olympics.
This put Floro in a quandary. With one week left before the Jan 31 deadline, Crispa is one of three teams that hasn't signed in yet. On the last minute the three teams (YCO and San Miguel Corporation were the other two) decided to join. With the signing of the constitution and it's by-laws, the PBA became official. Crispa is now a PBA team but its players haven't signed up.
With his players wanting to play on the national team, Floro requested for a two-year PBA layoff. This is with the assumption that the Philippines would be able to qualify for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The PBA board denied Crispa's request for a leave. They even broached the idea of punitive action against the team if they intend not to honor their obligation to play in the league.
Left with no choice, Floro submitted his lineup to the PBA for the 1975 First Conference. Amongst his 16 players, nine decided to stay amateur and defend their National Seniors title. One, Carvajal came done with a life threatening sickness months before the opening of the PBA. With only six players in its fold, Floro added three more unknowns, Alex Azurin, Joel Gomez and Eric Leano to complete the minimum nine players per team.
With Reggie Prada as their muse, the Crispa team that paraded in the opening ceremonies were Franco, Pages, Calilan, Sta Maria, Cesar Ijares, Rey Vallejo, Azurin, Gomez and Leano. With coach Baby Dalupan and team manager Danny Floro, that is the original Crispa lineup.
Team owner/manager Danny Floro, decided to build me up his team by taking on young players instead of veterans. Together with his coach, Virgilio 'Baby' Dalupan, they took in the core of the 1972 NCAA champions Jose Rizal College Heavy Bombers led by the Cezar brothers, Philip and David, 6-6 Ed Carvajal, Jesus Sta. Maria and Cristino Calilan. Acquired the services of 1974 RP Youth standouts Alfredo Hubalde, Bernard Fabiosa, and Virgilio dela Cruz. Recruited Visayan standouts Reynaldo Pages and a raw but promising talent in 6-5 Alberto Guidaben.
With the young talents blending in beautifully with the Crispa holdovers they won almost all tournaments that they participated in 1974 - the National Invitationals, the Palarong Pilipino and the MICAA Summer tournament. The last one they won against their rival the Komatsu Komets.
By the end of the year, Crispa-Floro together with eight other ballclubs decided to get away from the clutches of the Basketball Association of the Philippines by creating their own league, the Philippine Basketball Association(PBA). The creation of a new professional league means that its players would no longer represent the country in international competitions. With at least 11 players in its fold who wore the Philippine jersey one time or another, it presented a new dilemna within the organization.
In the 1974 Asian Games wherein the team placed fourth, six members of the team came from Crispa - Adornado, P. Cezar, Co, Guidaben, Revilla and Soriano. So when Danny Floro first brought out the idea of a professional league, his players were hesitant to join. A few players wanted to turn pro but the majority were quiet about it. Some of them are clinging to the idea of playing in the Olympics.
This put Floro in a quandary. With one week left before the Jan 31 deadline, Crispa is one of three teams that hasn't signed in yet. On the last minute the three teams (YCO and San Miguel Corporation were the other two) decided to join. With the signing of the constitution and it's by-laws, the PBA became official. Crispa is now a PBA team but its players haven't signed up.
With his players wanting to play on the national team, Floro requested for a two-year PBA layoff. This is with the assumption that the Philippines would be able to qualify for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The PBA board denied Crispa's request for a leave. They even broached the idea of punitive action against the team if they intend not to honor their obligation to play in the league.
Left with no choice, Floro submitted his lineup to the PBA for the 1975 First Conference. Amongst his 16 players, nine decided to stay amateur and defend their National Seniors title. One, Carvajal came done with a life threatening sickness months before the opening of the PBA. With only six players in its fold, Floro added three more unknowns, Alex Azurin, Joel Gomez and Eric Leano to complete the minimum nine players per team.
With Reggie Prada as their muse, the Crispa team that paraded in the opening ceremonies were Franco, Pages, Calilan, Sta Maria, Cesar Ijares, Rey Vallejo, Azurin, Gomez and Leano. With coach Baby Dalupan and team manager Danny Floro, that is the original Crispa lineup.