A Mon Fernandez renaissance

Ramon Fernandez is back in the sports pages, and rightly so. The Philippine Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer was back at courtside for the climax of the Philippine Cup finals to hand out the first Finals Most Valuable Player trophy named after him. It had been a while since he had watched a PBA game live, and he relished the experience.

“I thought I was dreaming,” says the PBA’s first four-time MVP. “I really did not expect it when they called me up asking for my approval. I said definitely! Am I crazy to not accept that honor?”

The league sifted through photos of Fernandez over the decades. They chose a handful of action shots where he was taking his patented running shot, which the late Joe Cantada christened “The Elegant Shot” in the 1980’s. It emerged as a beautiful piece of art, whose dimensions represented his various accomplishments over the years.

From playing for Toyota in the MICAA and representing the country in various international competitions, the 6’4” center was part of the exodus to the PBA in 1975. Fernandez was an integral part of the nine championships of the Tamaraws, which started him off on his record run of 19 total titles. Toyota exited in the midst of a fuel crisis that saw gasoline prices increase 400 percent, and Fernandez went along with the sale to Asia Brewery or Beer Hausen / Manila Beer. From there, he achieved success with Tanduay, Purefoods and San Miguel Beer, as well.

What set his game apart was his ability to play with his back to the basket, a lost skill the past couple of decades, where size and strength matter more. He drove opponents and opposing imports crazy with his variety of moves and strong defense. After joining San Miguel Beer’s 1989 Grand Slam squad, Fernandez was enlisted for the historic first all-pro squad to play in the Asian Games in 1990. He served as the first commissioner of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association, and later became a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. In Cebu not too long ago, he also stepped in to train a promising young center named June Mar Fajardo.

“When he was in second year college at the University of Cebu, the basketball program director Atty. Baldomero Estenzo, who was also a legal counsel of San Miguel, called me and asked me to train him a bit, which I gladly did,” Mon recalls. “I already saw his potential.”

Always pointedly honest, Fernandez also thinks it will be difficult for the Philippines to return to Olympic basketball.

“Honestly, I think it’s far-fetched,” he explains. “Just here, in the Asian Games, we have to go over that hump in winning the Asian championship. That in itself is a tall order already. I think it’s far-fetched.”

This occasion gives us an opportunity to look back, appreciate, and absorb the lessons on life and basketball from a PBA pioneer. For a country known to have a short memory, it’s a great chance to look back at what greatness is, and be grateful for the contributions Mon Fernandez and his generation made to Philippine basketball.

The full interview with Mon Fernandez is on Basketball Universe PHL is on YouTube. Subscribe now.

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