Ernesto Jose Francisco "Joey" Cuerva Loyzaga (born September 23, 1961) is 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 ...

retired professional basketball player.

Collegiate / Amateur career

Loyzaga broke into the hoops limelight as a Red Cub for

San Beda College es, Universidad de San Beda , image = San Beda University seal.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = University Seal , latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ , former_names ...

in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines). He was elevated to the senior Red Lions where he spent the next three years as a starter for then-SBC coach

Loreto Carbonell Loreto "Bonnie" Carbonell (1933 – 23 September 2017) was a Filipino basketball player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Career Playing career Sometime during his early years, Father Richard Cronin, a Jesuit priest from the Ateneo de Da ...

. Starting in 1980, Loyzaga saw action in the Interclub and MICAA tournaments. He moved from Mendiola to the Legarda campus of the

Arellano University Arellano University (AU) is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian university located in Manila, the Philippines. It was founded in 1938 as a law school by Florentino Cayco Sr., the first Filipino Undersecretary of Public Instruction. The univer ...

because of the strict policy of the NCAA regarding participation in commercial leagues.

National team career

Loyzaga also saw action as a national team campaigner in the

1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...

in New Delhi, India, under coach

Nat Canson Nathaniel Canson, also known as Nat Canson, is a Filipino former basketball player and coach. A University of the East Warrior, Canson played for Crispa, Meralco, Manilabank, San Miguel, 7-Up and Toyota in the MICAA. After his stint with the ...

, as well as being part of the champion Philippine squad of coach Larry Albano, which brought home the 1983 SEA Games basketball crown.

PBA career

Loyzaga played professional basketball in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

starting in 1984. He was one of the two rookies signed by Gold Eagle Beer that season and reunited with former mentor Nat Canson. When the SMC franchise took a leave of absence in the 1986 PBA season, Loyzaga found his way with the league's most popular team; Ginebra San Miguel, and became teammates with older brother

Chito Loyzaga Joaquín "Chito" Cuerva Loyzaga (born August 29, 1958) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and basketball commissioner. He is currently the Athletics Director of the NU Bulldogs in the University Athletic Association of the Phil ...

. They won two championships together at Ginebra and Joey's most memorable finals performance was the title-clinching Game four of the 1988 All-Filipino finals against Purefoods where he topscored for the team, together with playing-coach

Robert Jaworski Robert Vincent Salazar Jaworski Sr. (; born March 8, 1946) is a Filipino former professional basketball player, head coach and politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 1998 to 2004. He played 23 seasons in the Philippine Bas ...

, with 28 points apiece. Loyzaga was dropped from the Añejo (formerly Ginebra) lineup beginning the 1990 PBA season and was picked by expansion franchise

Pop Cola Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

from the pool. He spent two seasons with the RFM ballclub before moving to Shell and played for two years as well. Loyzaga did return to Ginebra for one season in 1994 but his career was already downhill at that point, he managed to stage a comeback four years later with Alaska.

Personal life

Loyzaga is the son of Philippine basketball great

Carlos Loyzaga Carlos "Caloy" Matute Loyzaga (August 29, 1930 – January 27, 2016) was a Filipino basketball player and coach. He was the most dominant basketball player of his era in the Philippines and is considered as the greatest Filipino basketball playe ...

and Vicky Cuerva. He and brother

became one of the few siblings to have played in the PBA, eventually playing together with Ginebra San Miguel.The son of ‘the Big Difference’ makes a difference
He was once romantically linked to actress

Gretchen Barretto Gretchen Castelo Barretto (; born March 6, 1970) is a Filipino actress, socialite, and philanthropist. She was launched in Regal Films' ''14 Going on Steady'' as a singer-actress, with the release of her debut single "Going Steady", which serve ...

. Loyzaga currently lives in Australia with his family.

References

External links

Ex-Ginebra guard Joey Loyzaga, now based in Australia, drops by Gilas Practice
TV5.Espn.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Loyzaga, Joey 1961 births Living people Alaska Aces (PBA) players Shooting guards Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Filipino people of Basque descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Filipino men's basketball players San Beda Red Lions basketball players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Basketball players from Manila Arellano Chiefs basketball players