Luis Manuel B. Locsin (born October 19, 1971), better known as Noli Locsin, 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
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. Dubbed as "The Tank", He is best known for his playing years with the
Ginebra San Miguel
Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI, ) () (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.) is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company majority-owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC).
History
La Tondeña was established in 1902 by Carlos Palanca, S ...
franchise 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 ...
.
Playing career
Locsin played for the RP Youth team in 1990 before suiting up for back-to-back UAAP titlist
De La Salle Green Archers. He had a brief stint with
Triple-V Foodmasters in the
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.
History
The PBL was formed on Ma ...
prior to its disbandment and then played for Nikon Electric Fan which completed a cinderella finish in the PBL.
When 6-9
Marlou Aquino
Marlou Bucao Aquino (born October 7, 1972) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Bacoor City Strikers of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). During his prime he was known by fans as "The S ...
, the most sought-after rookie, was out of the picture in the
1994 PBA draft, Ginebra, now renamed Tondeña 65, and the team that will pick first in the amateur draft, went for the next best option in Noli Locsin, a burly 6-3 power forward who can barrel his way into the toughest walls of the defenders.
He showed the Tondeña ballclub that it made the right choice when he emerged as the team's leading scorer and the league's leading local rebounder with his rookie season averages of 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists in 34.9 minutes. His stats are not enough through as Tondeña's struggles continued, winning just 12 of their 32 games in the 1994 season.
Playing for player-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 Ba ...
's "never-say-die" system, he flourished playing power forward while being undersized at only 6-3 without being able to develop outside shooting. A consistent low post threat, Locsin closed the size gap with his strength and skill although he began to fade out as soon as he parted ways with Jaworski.
Before the arrival of Fil-Ams in the PBA, Locsin was considered one of the top bruisers of his time in a time when it was rare for a Filipino player with his bulk to move as quick and leap as he did. Locsin was then traded to Pop Cola in the mid-season in 1999 for
Vergel Meneses
Vergel Corpuz Meneses (born January 14, 1969) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player and a politician, serving as mayor of the municipality of Bulakan, Bulacan. He previously played in the Philippine Basketball Association and ser ...
. He drifted to other PBA teams such as Tanduay and Red Bull before retiring.
References
External links
Player Profileat PBA-Online!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Locsin, Noli
1971 births
Living people
Barako Bull Energy Boosters players
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players
Filipino men's basketball players
Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars
Place of birth missing (living people)
Pop Cola Panthers players
Power forwards (basketball)
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Negros Occidental
Sta. Lucia Realtors players
Tanduay Rhum Masters players
TNT Tropang Giga players
De La Salle Green Archers basketball players
Doping cases in basketball
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel draft picks