We cap off an amazing decade by presenting the 10 most significant, action-packed and best remembered games of the Green Archers from 2000 to 2009. For the past 10 seasons, the Archers fought in numerous classic battles but these by far stand out the most.
cortez, tang, villanueva and wilson photos courtesy of absolutverde
We present to you the 10 best and most influential Green Archers this decade. Players were selected through an online visitor poll which lasted for almost a month and a half. In order to make the results meaningful and fair, only unique player votes per user IP address were counted.
Here they are according to rank:
1. Jayvee Casio (1189 Votes)
Years with team: 2003-2007
Currently: Playing for the Smart Gilas Philippine Team
2. Ren Ren Ritualo (1188 Votes)
Years with team: 1997-2001
Currently: Playing for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters in the PBA
3. Mac Mac Cardona (1181 Votes)
Years with team: 2001-2004
Currently: Playing for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters in the PBA
4. Joseph Yeo (1144 Votes)
Years with team: 2001-2005
Currently: Playing for the Sta Lucia Realtors in the PBA
5. Mike Cortez (1064 Votes)
Years with team: 2000-2002
Currently: Playing for the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA
6. Rico Maierhofer (1049 Votes)
Years with team: 2004-2008
Currently: Recently drafted by the Purefoods TJ Giants in the PBA
7. TY Tang (1009 Votes)
Years with team: 2002-2007
Currently: Playing for the Rain Or Shine Elastopainters in the PBA
8. Cholo Villanueva (683 Votes)
Years with team: 2001-2002,2004-2007
Currently: Playing for the Brgy Ginebra Kings in the PBA
9. Ryan Araña (482 Votes)
Years with team: 2003-2005
Currently: Playing for the Rain Or Shine Elastopainters in the PBA
10. Willie Wilson (480 Votes)
Years with team: 1998-2002
Currently: Playing for the Brgy Ginebra Kings in the PBA
We thank each and everyone who participated in this poll. An1mo!
Talk N’ Text, led by Mac Mac Cardona, defeated Alaska, 93-89 in Game 7 of a hotly-contested title series to win the PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
Cardona, who bagged the finals most valuable player award, top scored for the Texters with 23 points. Ren Ren Ritualo provided the timely hits from the perimeter throughout the championship series.
This is the third crown overall for Talk N’ Text and the first for these two former Green Archer stars.
We take a break from our regular programming to feature two former Green Achers who are currently playing in the ongoing championship series in the PBA. For Ren Ren Ritualo and Mac Mac Cardona, they sure don’t want this opportunity slip away. Being the fierce competitors that they are since their collegiate days, these Archers are on target for a shot at their very first championship crown in their professional careers.
Having played a combined 11 years in the PBA, Ren Ren and Mac Mac have still yet to win a title despite them being able to muster individual success with Ritualo winning Rookie of the Year in 2002 and Cardona bagging the best player of the conference award a couple of years back. Their scoring abilities are without doubt remarkable but numerous setbacks for their Talk N Text team in previous campaigns have foiled their championship aspirations. This time around, they finally get a shot at the crown as they play Alaska in a best-of-seven showdown.
For Ren Ren, this is a chance for him to regain his championship glory, perhaps last experienced during his time in the amateurs as a member of numerous winning teams. For Mac Mac, this serves as another opportunity for him to silence his detractors who pestered him to no end during the semifinals and prove that he belongs to the PBA elite. We wish the best of luck to the both of them.
Their jerseys may be blue this time but they will forever be green.
Related Post:
Throughout its 34 years of existence, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has showcased the best of Philippine basketball to the delight of millions of Filipinos nationwide. To any player who aspires for a career in basketball, getting on the lineup of a PBA team represents the end-all of his ambitions.
De La Salle University has produced quite a number of notable PBA players such as Lim Eng Beng, Franz and Dindo Pumaren, Jun Limpot, Noli Locsin, Dwight and Elmer Lago to name a few. Most of these former Green Archers have made significant contributions in helping their teams attain success in the country’s premier basketball league. This is a testament to the strength of the DLSU basketball program over the years, which has recruited and developed players who had the talent and determination to make it in the big league that is the PBA.
As the new PBA season opened recently, we feature the former Green Archers currently in the active roster.
