P. J.’s rise from obscurity

In the just-concluded PBA Philippine Cup finals, every player on the Rain Or Shine lineup was a draft choice, meaning there was no one snubbed in the league’s annual lottery. It wasn’t the same with San Mig Coffee. The Mixers’ roster included an undrafted player Jerwin Gaco and the lowest-drafted pick on either side P. J. Simon who was chosen on the fifth round in 2001, the 43rd selection by Sta. Lucia Realty.

It’s a testament to Simon’s determination and dedication that he’s lasted this long in the pros. Simon, 33, is now in his 10th season and according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, only 57 points away from becoming the 71st local and 75th overall (including imports) to qualify for the league’s elite 5,000-point club. He’s played in eight PBA finals and on five championship squads, the same with teammate James Yap.

The big difference between Simon and Yap is how they entered the league. Yap, 32, was the second overall pick in the 2004 draft after Rich Alvarez. Chosen right after Yap was another Mixer, Marc Pingris. Like Simon, Yap is in his 10th season.

When Simon was drafted, he was in shock. That’s because he never applied for the draft. “Someone submitted my name but I never applied,” said Simon in Filipino. “I was in fourth year at the University of Mindanao in Davao and had no plans of quitting school. Besides, nobody called me for a tryout. After I finished school, I played a year and a half for the Davao Eagles in the MBA then went to the PBL. I played for two championship teams with Hapee and won MVP.”

With his PBL background, Simon decided to try his luck in the PBA and asked about applying for the draft. Since he was actually drafted in 2001 but never signed with a team, it wasn’t necessary for Simon to go through the lottery. He was listed as a free agent, unsigned but drafted, and could join any team of his choice. Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio took the cue and invited Simon for a tryout in 2004, the year Yap came on board. Simon said Yap inspired him to play his best and it led to a contract with Purefoods.

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“James is the biggest influence in my career,” said Simon who once fired 42 points in a game in 2010-11. “He was already good but still worked so hard at practice. James wanted me to do more. He told me to just keep up with him. Whatever he did, I followed.” The partnership has withstood the test of time and today, they’re two of only four players, excluding the rookies, who’ve played exclusively for the San Mig Coffee franchise throughout their careers. The two others are Mark Barroca and Val Acuna. Barroca is in his third PBA season while Acuna interrupted his San Mig Coffee stint with a brief San Miguel Beer interlude in the ABL.

Although Yap and Simon remain key figures in the Mixers’ brew, neither earned a Best Player award during the recent finals, an indication that coach Tim Cone has masterfully transformed the team from two-reliant to as many as five-reliant. In the four games that the Mixers won in the title series, the Best Player award went to Pingris in Game 2, Joe De Vance in Game 3, Ian Sangalang in Game 4 and Barroca in Game 6.

In 21 games before the finals, Simon averaged a team-high 14.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 32.3 minutes. In the finals, he averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 28.8 minutes. Yap improved his scoring clip slightly from 13.3 to 13.8. Simon made up for the drops in his numbers by keeping Rain Or Shine’s Jeff Chan busy on the defensive end. Chan averaged 10.5 points in the Elasto Painters’ four losses. Obviously, defending Simon took a lot out of Chan’s offense. In the Game 6 clincher, Chan shot only seven points and went 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.

It’s interesting that when Simon was picked in the 2001 draft, San Juan Vice Mayor Francis Zamora, broadcaster Dominic Uy and San Mig Coffee assistant coach Mon Jose were chosen ahead. The only players picked that year still active today are first overall choice Willie Miller and Mark Caguioa who was selected third.

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Gaco, 33, was ignored in the 2005 draft and worked his way to the PBA via Barako then the San Mig Coffee franchise. He’s in his fifth season. Gaco has earned a reputation as a tough blue-collar worker, someone who doesn’t mind doing the dirty work. He played twice in the finals, never scored and averaged just 3.5 minutes.

Rafi Reavis, 36, is the senior statesman in the cast. There are seven players 31 and over so Cone can count on eight others, including injured Allein Maliksi, in their 20s. San Mig Coffee’s first round picks are Barroca, Pingris, Yap, De Vance (first overall in 2007), Yancy de Ocampo (first overall in 2002), Sangalang, Issac Holstein, Alex Mallari and Maliksi. The second rounders are Justin Melton, Reavis and Acuna. The only third rounder is Cawaling. Bringing up the rear are fifth rounder Simon and the undrafted Gaco.

On the Rain Or Shine squad, there are nine first rounders and five second rounders. Five Painters came in from the 2008 draft----Gabe Norwood (first overall), No. 7 Beau Belga, No. 9 Larry Rodriguez, No. 12 T. Y. Tang and No. 17 Chan. Aside from Tang and Chan, the other second rounders are Ryan Arana, Jireh Ibanes and Jeric Teng. What’s remarkable is Chan was picked on the second round in 2008 when he should’ve been an easy choice for a first rounder. Chan initially applied for the 2007 draft but withdrew. When he reapplied for 2008, Chan was obviously overlooked.