Ricardo "JR" Cawaling Jr. (born August 15, 1987) is a Filipino professional basketball player for
Zamboanga Valientes
The Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Zamboanga City, which has played in multiple national and regional leagues since its interception.
History
The Zamboanga Valientes was established in 20 ...
of the
ASEAN Basketball League
The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) is a professional men's basketball league in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, which includes six teams from Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), one tea ...
(ABL). He was drafted 30th overall by the
San Mig Coffee Mixers
The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...
in the
2013 PBA draft.
He is known as a three-point shooter. He was aliased "Aye Aye Captain" during his
ABL years and "The Sweet Shooter" in his PBA career.
College career
Cawaling played for the FEU Tamaraws beginning in
Season 70, when he was Rookie of the Year, beating Mike Gamboa and Kirk Long for the award. In his sophomore season, they were beaten by the
De La Salle Green Archers during the Final Four and FEU missed out on a Finals trip.
Cawaling returned for
Season 72 off a stint with
Gilas Pilipinas
The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...
. He had 14 points on six of seven shooting from the field off the bench in a win over the
NU Bulldogs
The National University Bulldogs are the collegiate men's varsity teams of National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the ''Lady Bulldogs'' while the high school ...
. He scored 14 again in a 12-point win over the
UP Fighting Maroons
The UP Fighting Maroons are the collegiate varsity teams of the University of the Philippines, primarily off Diliman, which play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere sports league in the country.
The Fi ...
. They lost in the Final Four to the UE Red Warriors, despite him scoring 19 points.
During
Season 73, Cawaling was almost suspended after he picked up both unsportsmanlike and technical fouls against the Green Archers, but UAAP Commissioner Ato Badolato ruled that these did not merit suspension, based on UAAP guidelines. That season, they finished with the best record in the league, beat La Salle in the Final Four before losing to the Blue Eagles in two games in the Finals.
Season 74 was Cawaling's final season with the Tamaraws. He injured his knee and was unavailable for most of FEU's campaign. Still, FEU reached the Finals once again.
Professional career
San Miguel Beermen (2013)
Cawaling applied for the
2012 PBA Draft
The 2012 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie draft was an event held at Robinson's Midtown Mall in Ermita, Manila on August 19, 2012 which allowed PBA teams to draft players from the amateur ranks.
Draft lottery
The lottery determ ...
but three days before the draft, he pulled out and joined the
San Miguel Beermen for the
2013 ABL season
The 2013 ASEAN Basketball League Regular Season was the fourth season of competition of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) since its establishment. A total of six teams competed in the league. The regular season began on 11 January 2013 and ended ...
. His best game that season was when he scored 16 points with three three-pointers that ended the
Indonesia Warriors' seven-game win streak and extended the Beermens' win streak to three. The Beermen then went on to win the championship that season. He averaged 4.4 points and 39% from three with the Beermen.
San Mig Franchise (2013–14)
Cawaling was drafted 30th overall by the
San Mig Coffee Mixers
The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...
in the
2013 PBA draft. He was the last member of Gilas 1.0 to make it to the PBA. In a loss to the
Petron Blaze Boosters
The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...
, he scored 10 of his 15 points in the 4th quarter as he tried to keep the fight going for San Mig. He was among the local players of San Mig that went on to win a
PBA Grand Slam during the
2013–14 season. After that season, he was placed on the unprotected list and was available for the expansion draft.
Blackwater Elite (2014)
Cawaling was picked fifth overall in the
2014 PBA Expansion Draft
The 2014 PBA Expansion Draft is the third expansion draft of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The draft was held on July 18, 2014, so that the newly founded teams Blackwater Elite and the Kia Sorento could acquire players for the 201 ...
by the
Blackwater Elite
The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...
. He didn't last a full season with the Elite, as his contract was bought out.
Kia Carnival / Mahindra Enforcer (2015)
Cawaling then joined the
Kia Carnival
The Kia Carnival ( ko, 기아 카니발) is a minivan manufactured by Kia since 1998. It is marketed globally under various nameplates — prominently as the Kia Sedona — which is now unused in favor of the Carnival.
The first generat ...
as a free agent before the
2015 Commissioner's Cup.
Then, he had 14 points in an upset win over the
Alaska Aces.
Alab Pilipinas (2016–17)
Cawaling then had stints in amateur leagues. He then joined other ex-PBA players such as
Jeric Fortuna
Jeric Marco Gray Fortuna (born November 25, 1991) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted 14th overall by the Barako Bull Energy in t ...
and
Robby Celiz among others in playing for
Alab Pilipinas. A day after his older brother died, he led Alab's bench with 11 points and four rebounds as they beat the defending ABL champions
Westports Malaysia Dragons
Kuala Lumpur Dragons is a professional basketball team based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that currently plays in the ASEAN Basketball League. It also played as the Blustar Detergent Dragons in the Philippines' PBA Developmental League in 2016.
H ...
. Alab dedicated the win to his brother. In a rematch with the Dragons, he had 14 points as Alab got the win once again.
Caloocan Supremos (2018)
Cawaling then reunited with his former FEU teammate Paul Sanga as they both played for the
Caloocan Supremos during the 2nd season of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines.
History
Manny Pacquiao launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on August 29, 2017, starting off as a semi-professional lea ...
(MPBL). He led his team with 13 points in a loss to the
Navotas Clutch. Halfway through the season, he was released into free agency.
Nueva Ecija MiGuard (2019)
In Cawaling's first game with the
Nueva Ecija MiGuard, he had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and the game-winning putback score. He then had 18 points in a loss to the
Manila Stars
The Manila City Stars (also spelled as Manila CityStars) are a professional basketball team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). The team is owned by the Local City Government of Manila, Phi ...
. In a loss to the
Valenzuela Classic
The Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. is a professional basketball team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. It is owned by the local government of Valenzuela City.
History
Team roster
Head coaches
All-time roster
* ...
, he had 20 points despite shooting only three out of 15 shots. He scored 22 in a rematch against Navotas but lost the game.
Imus Khaleb Shawarma / Bandera Luxxe Slim (2019–20)
Cawaling ended 2019 on the roster of
Imus Khaleb Shawarma. He then scored 11 against the
Muntinlupa Angelis Resort and 13 in a loss to the
Marikina Shoemasters
Marikina Shoemasters are a Filipino professional basketball team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) based in Marikina. It is one of 11 active teams based in Metro Manila, as well as one of four based in the Eastern Manila Distric ...
.
MisOr Brew Authoritea / MisOr Kuyamis
In 2021, Cawaling joined the
MisOr Brew Authoritea in the
Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup. He then strained his hamstring, and joined nine other players on the injured list. As a result, MisOr pulled out from the tournament.
Manila Stars (2022)
Cawaling played in only one game for the Stars in the MPBL.
Zamboanga Valientes (2023–present)
Cawaling then joined the Valientes for the
2023 ABL season.
Professional career statistics
PBA
3x3 career
In 2019, Cawaling teamed up with former Coffee Mixers teammate
Jerwin Gaco when they played for the Vigan MiGuard Wolves in the second leg of the
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Patriot's Cup.
In 2021, Cawaling joined the
Zamboanga Valientes
The Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Zamboanga City, which has played in multiple national and regional leagues since its interception.
History
The Zamboanga Valientes was established in 20 ...
in the
PBA 3x3
PBA 3x3 refers to the men's 3x3 basketball league of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
History
The proposal to form PBA 3x3, a men's 3x3 basketball league, was a result of a joint partnership between the Philippine Basketball Assoc ...
. The Valientes didn't make it to Leg 6 of the inaugural tournament, as he was the only one on the team available as the rest suffered multiple injuries. They then pulled out of the second conference.
National team career
In 2008, Cawaling tried out for the
Philippine national team along with other college cagers. His first international competition was the
2008 Pingguo Invitational Tournament, which his team won. From there, he became a member of the national team program, dubbed "Smart Gilas Pilipinas". He represented the country in the
2009 FIBA Asia Champions Cup. He also got to play in the
2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup
The 2009–10 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup or known as the 2009–10 KFC PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the first conference of the 2009–10 PBA season. The tournament started on October 11, 2009, an ...
as Gilas was a guest team that conference. On October 12, 2010, it was announced that he had quit the program to focus on his commitments to FEU.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cawaling, JR
1987 births
Living people
Basketball players from Misamis Oriental
Blackwater Bossing players
Filipino men's basketball players
Terrafirma Dyip players
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Cagayan de Oro
Magnolia Hotshots players
San Miguel Alab Pilipinas players
FEU Tamaraws basketball players
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League players
Magnolia Hotshots draft picks
Filipino expatriate basketball people in Thailand
Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players
PBA 3x3 players
Zamboanga Valientes players