Led by coach Derrick Pumaren, the PBA Legends team was composed of Marlou Aquino, Nelson Asaytono, Cris Bolado, Kenneth Duremdes, EJ Feihl, Vince Hizon, Noli Locsin, Alvin Patrimonio, Dindo Pumaren, and Renren Ritualo. And yes, you guessed right, they didn’t lose a single game in their visit.
BuhayBasket had a quick chat with Jojo Villanueva, a PBA fanatic who has been living in Saudi Arabia for 11 years, and Renren Ritualo, the youngest player in the PBA Legends roster. Here are five things we picked up from them:
SMB FANS ARE FOREVER
Jojo: Na-excite ako syempre ng nabalitaan ko na pupunta ang PBA legends sa Jeddah. Sabi ko sa sarili ko makapagpa-picture at gusto ko ma-meet si Nelson Asaytono dahil solid SMB fan ako since mahilig ako manood ng PBA.Kahit sa Pinas ako noon, pag may laro SMB sa Ultra o Cuneta Astrodome nanonood talaga ako.
CAPTAIN MARBEL AND THE TANK STILL GOT IT
Jojo: Si Kenneth Duremdes ang pinaka-exciting panoorin, makikita mo talaga siya ang gumagawa ng play para kanila EJ Feihl at sa iba. Kahit exhibition game lang kita mo na seryoso si Kenneth Duremdes, at si Noli Locsin din dumadakdak pa.
THE MOST-FRIENDLY CAPTAIN
Jojo: Okay naman lahat ang legends sa fans, talagang pinagbigyan nila lahat magpa-picture at sign ng jersey. Pero si Captain Alvin Patrimonio ang pinaka-friendly sa lahat, para sa opinyon ko lang. Nagbigay pa siya ng Purefoods jersey with autograph niya.
WHY WE LOVE BASKETBALL
Jojo: Tingin ko dahil sa PBA legends natin kaya ang Pilipino mahilig sa basketball, minulat nila ang Pilipino sa basketball.
‘THEY INSPIRE ME’ – RENREN, on playing with the legends
Renren: It was a great experience for me playing with players I looked up to when I was growing up. They still inspire me.
Watch this Upper B episode to find out how many 3s Renren made in one of the exhibition games, and why coach Derrick didn’t want him to pass the ball.