Duel of old buddies spices up Shell-FedEx

For most of their amateur careers, Rich Alvarez and Wesley Gonzales were like a pair of gringos looking out for each other’s backs.

Up until Alvarez suited up for his first game as a professional in the Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference, Gonzales was out there watching and hurting as his friend suffered the ignominy of being the first No. 1 overall pick benched in his first outing.

That relationship takes a sharp u-turn tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the two Gameboys who had always been looking out for each other as teammates during their Ateneo days will end up guarding each other as opponents in a match that pits the Shell Turbo Chargers against the FedEx Express.

"I’m excited because I might have to guard this guy (Gonzales) full time or most of the time," said Alvarez.

Alvarez, the former UAAP Most Valuable Player, was picked No. 1 overall by Shell during the rookie draft. Gonzales, a do-it-all player teeming with basketball skills, was selected ninth overall, the third first-rounder by a FedEx team that treated the draft like a buffet table.

Up until then, fate had linked them almost forever.

The two conspired to give Ateneo a title and two championship appearances in the UAAP. In the Philippine Basketball League, they fed off each other.