It’s about time

It’s been 44 years since the Philippines played basketball at the Olympics. Freddie Webb, who was on the last national team at the 1972 Munich Games, said the wait has gone too long.

The first chance for the Philippines to qualify for this year’s Rio Olympics came at the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha last year. Gilas made it to the finals but fell short of pulling the rug from under host China. Only the champion was given a ticket to Rio so China has qualified to represent Asia in the 12-nation tournament.

The second and last chance will come at the Olympic qualifier in the Mall of Asia Arena on July 5-10. Only the champion will be awarded a slot to Rio so for the Philippines to book it, Gilas must outperform France, New Zealand, Canada, Turkey and Senegal.

In 1972, the Philippines finished 13th of 16, losing to Poland, 90-75, Puerto Rico, 92-72, Germany, 93-74, Yugoslavia, 117-76, the Soviet Union, 111-80 and Italy, 101-81 and beating Senegal, 68-62, Egypt by default and Japan, 82-73. The consolation was the last game the Philippines played at the Olympics ended in a win over Japan.

Webb was on the Philippine squad with Bogs Adornado, Ciso Bernardo, Joy Cleofas, Danny Florencio, Jimmy Mariano, Yoyong Martirez, Tembong Melencio, Ed Ocampo, Manny Paner, Jun Papa and Marte Samson. Webb’s best offensive showing was when he scored 10 points against Germany. Mariano was the Philippines’ leading scorer, averaging 13.9 points and Florencio came next with a 13.1 clip. Webb averaged 5.3.

It was at the Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli Olympians were taken hostage and eventually murdered by eight Palestinian terrorists from the Black September group. Five terrorists and a German policeman were killed in the rescue attempt. The three terrorist survivors were captured but later released only to be eventually tracked down by the Israeli Mossad and killed. It was also at the Munich Games where the Soviet Union beat the US, 51-50, for the gold medal in basketball under highly controversial circumstances.

“Shooting was never my strong suit,” admitted Webb. “I was just fast. I remember once, we played against a US military team in Guam and I was all over the court. It was like I could do anything I wanted with the ball. I couldn’t count the steals I made. After the game, some of the military men came up to me and asked what my secret was. I told him my wife because you’ve got to be able to run fast with a wife like mine.”

But kidding aside, Webb said he grew up with basketball as his first love but when he met his wife Beth, she took over the throne. “We’ve been married 53 years with six wonderful children and 10 grandchildren,” he said. “Throughout my life and career, my only motivation was to provide for my family.”

When Webb played college basketball for Letran, he recalled showing up for practice long before call time. “I would go to Rizal Memorial and with still nobody around, I would kiss the court and kiss the ball,” he said. “That’s how much I love the game. I owe everything to basketball. When I retired from playing, it opened a new door for me – coaching. Then, I became a Congressman and Senator. It also opened another door for me – TV and movies. I’m lucky that I was involved in a TV series called ‘Chicks To Chicks’ which lasted 14 years but it was because of Nova Villa, not me.”

Today, Webb remains active in showbiz. He’s currently filming a movie with Filipino-Australian actor-singer James Reid, Nadine Lustre and Villa. Webb also hosts a popular Saturday sports talk show on radio and looks over the family-owned Basement Salon at the SM Aura Mall.

Webb is a most sought-after speaker in public fora. Last Sunday, he participated in a discussion on why basketball is the country’s No. 1 sport with Nike top-level global executives at the Treston International School in Bonifacio Global City. And the day after, Webb delivered a talk on Sports Marketing before students of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business at Rockwell.

What Webb is proud of is his family legacy in basketball. The Webbs are the only family with three generations of PBA players with Freddie, his son Jason and his grandson Joshua. He’s hoping another grandson Noah, now playing with the UP varsity, will make it to the PBA.

Webb said in 1965 when he was 23, he received P250 a month to play basketball for YCO. His pay was raised by P50 for performance and later by another P50. To augment his income, Webb was paid P350 to work as a filing clerk for the Elizalde group’s insurance company. “I was already married so I had a family to feed,” he said. “My regret was not finishing my education at Letran. Basketball became my livelihood. After playing, I turned to coaching then went into politics.”

Webb is living proof that there is life after basketball. He said NBA veterans like Shaquille O’Neal, Rick Fox, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan parlayed their success as basketball players into even more success as businessmen after retiring from playing. Gilas player Gabe Norwood said when he grows up to be Webb’s age, his dream is to look like the man called Fastbreak Freddie. You wouldn’t think Webb is 73. His physique puts men half his age to shame. Webb is surely an inspiration to the young and not-so-young alike.