11 nominees carry worthy credentials

Eleven nominees seeking final slots in this year’s third induction ceremony of the National Basketball Hall of Fame boast impressive credentials worthy of nomination.

They are (in alphabetical order): Manolet Araneta, Kurt Bachmann, Charlie Badion, Loreto Carbonell, Gerry Cruz, Eddie Decena, Eddie Lim, Luis "Moro" Lorenzo, Alfonso "Boy" Marquez, Francisco Rabat and Mariano "Nano" Tolentino.

This list, according to Hall of Fame Steering Committee chair Bukidnon Gov. Joe Zubiri, will be submitted to the Board of Trustees headed by Manolo Lopez of Meralco and Fernando Zobel de Ayala of Ayala Corp., chair and vice chair, respectively, who will select the final winners.

Previous Hall of Fame awardees were led by Carlos Loyzaga (1999) and Lauro Mumar (2000).

The major credentials of some of the 11 nominees:

• Manolet Araneta. 1948 London Olympic Games, 12th place. Born on Dec. 8, 1926 in Iloilo to Manuel Araneta and Rosario Ledesma, Manolet was a very fast guard who earned the monicker "Twinkle Toes" during his heyday. While playing for Philippine Air Lines in the MICAA in the late 1940s, Manolet won the MVP award, receiving a Lord Elgin black dial wristwatch for the feat. Manolet earlier played for Far Eastern University where he was the team captain. From FEU, he transferred to La Salle which won the NCAA championship in 1947. He married Mila Cacho in 1950 when he was 24 years old. They have eight children.

• Kurt Bachmann. 1959 Chile World Basketball Championship, 8th place; 1960 Rome Olympics, 11th place; two gold medals in Asian Games (1958 Tokyo, 1962 Jakarta); and gold medal, 1960 Manila ABC. An only child, Kurt was born on July 18, 1936 to German national Kurt Bachmann Sr. and Alice Streegan of Iloilo. He finished grade school at San Beda then transferred to La Salle. In 1955-56, he was voted MVP of NCAA junior and senior champion La Salle. Being the son of a German, Kurt’s citizenship was always questioned whenever he was named to the Philippine selection. It was resolved when he chose to become a Filipino in 1954.

• Charlie Badion. 1959 Chile World Basketball Championship, 8th; 1956 Melbourne Olympics, 7th; 1960 Rome Olympics, 11th; gold, 1958 Tokyo Asian Games; and gold, 1960 Manila ABC. A product of sandlot tournaments, the 5-foot-10-1/2 "Bad Boy" of basketball popularized the "bicycle drive" which young players imitated during the 1950s. Charlie was born on Aug. 16, 1935 in Lubao, Pampanga, but he grew up in Tondo where he started his checkered career by playing for Abad Santos High. He was spotted in the Interscholastics by Valerio Lopez of Mapua where he subsequently enrolled. Charlie shone in the NCAA and the MICAA playing for Jacinto Rubber Shoes, Crispa and YCO.

• Loreto Carbonell. 1959 Chile World Basketball Championship, 8th; 1956 Melbourne Olympics, 7th; gold, 1958 Tokyo Asian Games; and gold, 1960 Manila ABC. The dusky probinsiyano from Davao del Sur did not know how to play basketball in the beginning because he was hooked on volleyball. At the Ateneo de Davao, Jesuit fathers James Donelan and Richard Cronin taught him the basics of basketball, including fancy back dribbling. In Manila, Bonnie played for San Beda where he helped the Red Lions win several NCAA titles in the 1950s, including the Zamora Trophy. He starred for many-time MICAA and National Open champion YCO.