1997
Posted by John D in 1997, Roster
Season in Review:
In 1997, Purefoods, now known as the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys, traded Rodney Santos to Alaska for Cris Bolado and hired Eric Altamirano as their coach and went on to win the All-Filipino Cup. Purefoods starting center Jerry Codinera was allowed by his doctors to play in the PBA All-Filipino Cup championship series but he will be wearing a transparent mask, especially ordered from the United States, to protect his face from getting jarred throughout the best-of-seven title play-offs. Three-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio described the All-Filipino Cup series as a classic clash between two teams with diverse philosophies. His Purefoods squad is a stickler for pressing defense, while their rival Gordon’s Gin is this conference’s top offensive team. For the first time in 10 years, it’s not just Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera who carried most of the load for the Cowboys. There were other figures which if not for their consistent and excellent performances, may not have wrapped up the series in Purefoods’ favor. The likes of Ferdinand “Bong” Ravena, Dindo “The Bullet” Pumaren and Rey Evangelista really played heads-up basketball throughout the series. Ravena, who was bothered by a stomach spasm, made the most damage to Gordon’s suqad, not only on offense but also on defense. The 1992 Rookie of the Year showed what kind of a player he is and all he needed was the much needed break and confidence given him by head coach Eric Altamirano. Too bad only one could win the Finals MVP award, which eventually went to Patrimonio by a narrow margin. He, too deserved it. Right at the start of the season, no one picked Purefoods as a possible contender for the prestigious plum. But the Cowboys proved them wrong. Alvin Patrimonio won his fourth MVP, tying the record set by Ramon Fernandez. Ravena won the PBA's Most Improved Player award.
Roster:
Alvin Patrimonio
Gerardo "Gerry" Codinera
Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Elmer Lago
Genesis "Donking" Sasuman
Reynaldo "Rey" Evangelista"
Edmundo "Edmund" Reyes
Crisanto "Cris" Bolado
Edward Joseph "EJ" Feihl
Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu
Ruben de la Rosa