Antonio Luis "Pocholo" Martínez (June 20, 1926 – December 26, 2016) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who competed in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

and the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Biography

Martínez usually played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

and saw action in the first Asian Games in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

in 1951 and the 1952 Summer Olympics in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He played for De La Salle before the last war. It was during the war years that he took up the game. After liberation, Martínez played for the San Beda junior team under coach Arturo Rius from whom he learned the fundamentals of basketball. There was no

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

at that time so he played against American teams which belonged to the liberation forces. He then transferred to

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

to take up commerce. In 1949, he played for PRATRA in the

MICAA The Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) was a sports association which existed in Manila, Philippines from 1938 to 1981. Throughout its existence, it staged various sports and was participated by prominent Philippine co ...

along with playing coach Gabby Fajardo and among others, Ning and Emy Ramos, Pong Bautista and Peping Tuason. In 1954, Martinez played for

Philippine Air Lines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...

,Loyzaga, Hechanova in PSA basketball lineup
bitoball.wordpress.com and then stayed longer with the

YCO Painters The YCO Painters were the multi-titled Filipino basketball team of the YCO Athletic Club that was active from the late 1940s to 1981 in the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). YCO Athletic Club was founded ...

from 1955-1968 and by the time he retired, Martínez had participated in at least five championships.

References

External links

* 1926 births 2016 deaths Basketball players from Manila Olympic basketball players for the Philippines Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1951 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in basketball Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players University of Santo Tomas alumni Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Medalists at the 1951 Asian Games UST Growling Tigers basketball players San Beda Red Lions basketball players Guards (basketball) {{Philippines-basketball-bio-stub