A TWO-TIME Olympian, a former PBA Rookie of the Year, one of the most accomplished collegiate coaches in the country, a one-time college star who surprisingly never got to play in the PBA, and a cage icon well-loved by Filipino basketball fans will be honored posthumously during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night on Jan. 29 at the grand ballroom of the Diamond Hotel.
FIBA World Cup bronze medalist Antonio “Tony” Genato, 1994 top PBA rookie Emmanuel “Boybits” Victoria, champion coach Loreto “Ato” Tolentino, Letran legend Fernando “Dong” Libed, and beloved cage legend Avelino “Samboy” Lim are among those whose memories will be remembered during the formal proceedings.
The country’s sportswriting fraternity headed by Nelson Beltran, editor of The Philippine Star, will give a brief tribute and offer a short prayer to 21 sports personalities who sadly passed away in 2023.
ArenaPlus, the leading sports entertainment gateway in the country, presents the traditional awards night, together with major sponsors the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Cignal, Mlo, and PLDT/Smart. Also backing the event are the Philippine Basketball Association, Premier Volleyball League, Rain or Shine, and 1-Pacman Partylist Rep, Mikee Romero.
Also to be honored posthumously are PBA players Terry Saldana, Ricky Mariano, Rudy Enterina, and Manuel “Molet” Pineda, former PBA chairman Rey Gamboa, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ed Picson, former sports commissioner and national player Tisha Abundo, and former congressman Rodolfo Tingzon, the father of youth baseball in the country.
Football player Yoro Sangare will likewise be remembered along with boxer Kenneth Egano, Adamson deputy softball coach Estanislao “Sarge” Terrones, former sports editor and columnist Nap Gutierrez, motoring host and columnist Butch Gamboa, and E-sports personalities Rob Luna, Charles Dave “Chad Devs” Dela Pena, and Ivan Emmanuel “Navi” Gacho.
Genato was a member of the fabled 1954 Philippine men’s basketball team that finished a historic third in the FIBA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro and played in the 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne) Olympics.
Tolentino was a known prolific scorer during his playing days who later carved out a name as the multi-titled coach of the University of Manila basketball program.
Victoria shot to fame as the high-scoring and high-flying guard of San Beda, who went on to become the PBA Rookie of the Year three decades ago and won a couple of championships with the RFM and SMC franchises, while Libed was the celebrated Letran guard who led the Knights to back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1987 and 1988.
