Philip Dudley Cezar (born December 1, 1952)
is a Filipino former basketball coach, player and politician. Known by the monikers "Mr. Stretch", "''Tapal'' King" and "The Scholar", he was part of the fabled
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers were a multi-titled Filipino basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1984. It was one of the nine founding teams of the PBA, winning a total of thirteen PBA championships, i ...
ballclub of 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 ...
that won two
Grand Slams in 1976 and 1983. He was named the
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
in
1980. He was also a many-time Philippine national team player in the 1970s.
PBA career
Coming from the
JRU Heavy Bombers
The JRU Heavy Bombers (also as José Rizal University Heavy Bombers) are the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball team of the Jose Rizal University.
The other senior varsity teams may also be referred to as the Heavy Bombers. The ...
, some consider Cezar the best “thinking” power forward in the history of the PBA. He is the perfect example of a power forward with finesse, unlike contemporary "four" players like
Marc Pingris
Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Known as one of the best defenders and rebounders in PBA history, he was named one of the league's 40 Greatest Players.
He spent 14 season ...
,
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk (born August 24, 1974) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Asean Basketball League. Known as Major Pain, Menk is a four-time PBA champion ...
and
Danny Ildefonso
Danilo Ildefonso (born December 9, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He is currently an assistant coach for both the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the NU Bulldogs of the UAAP. Nick ...
, and much earlier,
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Dale Vergara Patrimonio (born November 17, 1966) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager for the Magnolia Hotshots.
Patrimonio holds several PBA re ...
and
Nelson Asaytono
Nelson Asaytono (born January 25, 1967) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who played for Purefoods, Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola, San Miguel Beer, and Red Bull in the PBA during his 17-year career.
Collegiate / Amateur career
As ...
, who rely primarily on sheer power and brute strength. Though barely 6'3" and less than 200 pounds, he was usually given the unenviable task of guarding tall imports from opposing teams. On defense, his unusually long arms served him in good stead, using them in his famous "umbrella-like" defense and two-handed shot-blocks. And though he played the No. 4 position for most of his career, he was like a second point guard on the floor, often orchestrating big plays and dishing out timely passes. He could also run the floor and finish fastbreaks with his patented "stretch" lay-up. He is best remembered as the very first one-on-one champion of the league when he defeated
Ramon Fernandez
Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record 19 PBA titles. F ...
in the finals of the 1979 Sprite One-on-One challenge where he won .
In 2000, he was named as one of the
PBA's 25 greatest players of all-time in elaborate awards ceremonies that highlighted the 25th anniversary of the league.
In 2005, he was one of the twelve initial inductees to the PBA Hall of Fame alongside fellow Crispa players
Atoy Co
Fortunato "Atoy" Gan Co Jr. (born October 15, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player and coach who played 13 seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association, mostly with Crispa Redmanizers. Nicknamed "The Fortune Cookie" (a pun on his n ...
and
Bogs Adornado
William "Bogs" Adornado (born May 26, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player and coach. He is one of the Philippine Basketball Association's Greatest Players and was inducted to its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a three-time PBA Most Va ...
, and Toyota stalwarts
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 ...
,
Francis Arnaiz
Francis C. Arnaiz (born June 4, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player. He is best known as a PBA player, playing for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986.
Early basketball years
Arnaiz had a love for sports and was shooting s ...
and Fernandez together with former PBA Commissioners Leo Prieto, Emerson Coseteng and Atty. Rudy Salud as well as legendary Crispa coach and team manager, respectively,
Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan and Danny Floro, and the late anchorman
Joe Cantada
Jose J. Cantada, better known as "Smokin'" Joe Cantada, (March 15, 1942 – March 22, 1992) was a Filipino TV host, anchor & commentator. He died of lung cancer in March 1992. He distinguished himself with his smooth baritone voice and his ...
.
He finished his illustrious PBA career as the No.6 all-time leading scorer with 12,077 points behind Fernandez,
Abet Guidaben
Alberto "Abet" Guidaben (born September 14, 1952) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the PBA. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He was a two-time PBA Most Va ...
, Patrimonio,
Atoy Co
Fortunato "Atoy" Gan Co Jr. (born October 15, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player and coach who played 13 seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association, mostly with Crispa Redmanizers. Nicknamed "The Fortune Cookie" (a pun on his n ...
and Asaytono. He also is the fifth all-time best rebounder with 5,834 total rebounds behind Fernandez, Guidaben,
Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Herman Codiñera (born November 14, 1966) is a Filipino coach and retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is the curre ...
and Patrimonio and was No. 2 in shotblocks with 1,370. He also had 3,130 assists (3.4 assists per game), 599 steals, converted 2066/2767 free throws in 28127:05 minutes played in 918 games. He, along with Fernandez, are the only two players in PBA history who has accumulated at least 12,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 1,000 shot blocks.
Career highlights
*Member of the 1976 and 1983 Crispa Grand Slam Team
*1-time Most Valuable Player (1980)
*7-time Mythical First Team Selection (1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987)
*2-time Mythical Second Team Selection (1984, 1985)
*2-time PBA All-Star
*4-time All Defensive Team Member (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988)
*Member, PBA's 25 Greatest Players
*Member, PBA Hall of Fame
*Member, 5,000 & 10,000 points clubs
*Member, 1,000 offensive rebounds club
*Member, 2,000 defensive rebounds club
*Member, 2,000 assists club
*Member, 900 & 1,000 shotblocks clubs
*Member, 500 steals club
Coaching career
After his retirement, Cezar went to coaching. He served as a long-time assistant coach to his former longtime rival Jaworski during the champion teams of Ginebra in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 2000, he coached the
San Juan Knights
The San Juan Kings, previously known as the San Juan Knights, are a professional basketball team representing San Juan, Metro Manila. They played in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) from 1999 to 2001, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketba ...
to a championship in the now defunct
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), or Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran from March 7, 1998, to July 26, 2002.
History
The MBA played its first game on March 7, 1998, at the Don Narciso Ramos ...
beating the
Negros Slashers
The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers were a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the ...
in six games, 4-2.
In 2004, he was named commissioner of the
Universities and Colleges Athletic Association
The Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) is an athletic association of colleges and universities in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republik ...
for its third season. In 2005, he accepted the job as the new head coach of the
Philippine School of Business Administration
The Philippine School of Business Administration is a college located in Quezon City in Metro Manila, Philippines. The college was established in 1963.
Academic programs Undergraduate studies
*Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
*Bachelor of Sc ...
.
In 2013, he was appointed by then Manila mayor Joseph Estrada as head of Manila's sports council. He was the coach of the Manila Stars in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He held both positions until May 2019.
Political career
Cezar served as Vice Mayor of
San Juan, Metro Manila
San Juan, officially the City of San Juan ( fil, Lungsod ng San Juan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 126,347 people. It is geographica ...
under Mayor
Jinggoy Estrada
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. H ...
from 1992 to 2001. Months prior to the
2001 elections, he was appointed as Acting Mayor of San Juan while Estrada was serving his suspension due to plunder charges leveled against him and his father, former Philippine President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
. He retired from politics in 2001.
On October 8, 2021, Cezar filed his Certificate of Candidacy to run for Vice Mayor of San Juan in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
under
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino
The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (), formerly ''Partido ng Masang Pilipino'' (), is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada. In the May 1998 presidential election, ...
.
He is the running mate of
San Juan Knights
The San Juan Kings, previously known as the San Juan Knights, are a professional basketball team representing San Juan, Metro Manila. They played in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) from 1999 to 2001, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketba ...
team manager Felix Usman, who is running for mayor. However, he lost to incumbent vice mayor Warren Villa.
References
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20121208072235/http://www.pba.ph/
*https://web.archive.org/web/20051127095357/http://www.myglobe.com.ph/portal/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3509
http://www.geocities.com/maong69/pba.cezar.html*http://www.teenfad.ph/news/archives/why25.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20060317200024/http://www.turbochargers-pba.com/dinner.shtml
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cezar, Philip
1952 births
Living people
Asian Games competitors for the Philippines
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players
Basketball players at the 1974 Asian Games
Basketball players from Metro Manila
Centers (basketball)
Crispa Redmanizers players
Filipino men's basketball coaches
Filipino men's basketball players
Filipino sportsperson-politicians
Great Taste Coffee Makers players
Mayors of San Juan, Metro Manila
JRU Heavy Bombers basketball players
People from San Juan, Metro Manila
Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars
Philippines men's national basketball team players
Power forwards (basketball)
Shell Turbo Chargers players
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coaches