Remembering basketball mentor Nic Jorge

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I WAS stunned to hear a radio report last Sunday morning that one of the pillars in Philippine basketball Nic Jorge met his untimely demise in his sleep last Saturday (June 13) evening. Stunned because despite his 77 years, he was still very active in basketball development program for the youth being the founder and the president of the country’s pioneer and premiere basketball clinician center called BEST (Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training) or popularly known in PH basketball as Milo BEST which he founded in 1978.

As an avid basketball enthusiast, I know that Milo BEST was the springboard or launching pad of many hoop starts like Benjie Paras, Jerry Codiñera, Jun Limpot, Larry Fonacier, Boybits Victoria, Paolo Mendoza, Joseph Yeo, Chris Tiu, Keifer Ravena, and three Pangasinenses like Ronnie Magsanoc of Lingayen, Rey Evangelista of Alaminos City and Patrick Fran of Agno, all of whom  played in professional league, PBA. Some of them also donned the colors of our national flag in international jousts including Jorge as coach of our national team that saw action in 1978 FIBA World Cup hosted in Manila, aside from being the mentor of his alma matter, University of the Philippines Maroons at 21 years of age. He was the youngest coach in the Philippine collegiate basketball games history.

I personally met Jorge in Guam decades ago (I believe in 1984) when the Philippine Youth Team played a four-day invitational games in the U.S. protectorate islands against teams from South Korea, Japan, Guam’s Andersen Air Force and the Guam’s Selection. I watched all their jampacked games held at University of Guam Fieldhouse in Mangilao town watched by Filipinos. The air force men composed of tall black Americans won the four-day tournament. PH was second. Yes, I still remember, we proceeded to a videoke bar and restaurant in Tamuning town after the tourney with assistant coach and former PBA player the late Tembong Melencio and dined together with the PH team but not with the players knowing that Jorge is a disciplinarian. I still recall that the guys asked me to sing my composed song Buhay Siklista that according to them made headlines in professional singing industry. Unfortunately, it was in the song book so with the approval of the crowd, I sang the Fred Panopio’s popularized yodeling ditty titled “Pitong Gatang” instead to the delight of the predominantly Filipino crowd.

Born in Manila on November 27, 1942, the tall and overweight Jorge, also became the secretary-general of the erstwhile national governing body Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) until it was officially replaced by Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP).  His friends and colleagues described him as a ‘dreamer and mover,’ a pillar of modern-day grassroots advocate when he formed the Milo BEST.

Can we find another like him to inspire and help the young ones in the development of PH basketball? Your guess is also as good as mine.

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As I’m writing this piece, reports reached me that another two basketball pillars just passed away last Tuesday and last Thursday. Asia’s business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco of San Miguel Beer died last June 16 and the former PBA’s Purefoods player Junel Mendiola on June 18. The duo died of cancer. More on this issue next week.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’ JEREMIAH 32: 36

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