Adornado: A Closeup (Sports World, 1973)

Sports World Magazine

May 12, 1973

 

 

            It was the 1967 Inter-Secondary basketball end of competitions at the Rizal Coliseum. On the floor were the Divine Word College five of Legaspi City and the De La Salle juniors. One of the Greenies was Mike Bilbao, who later was to earn his spurs as a full-fledged Mariwasa-Akai Recorder.

 

            But the fellow who attracted the most attention was a Bicolano standing six feet tall who had one of the sweetest jump shots this side of the Pacific. He was plunking in baskets with authority and some questions elicited the fact that back home in the port city of Legaspi, the kid averaged some 25 points per game, with a high of 48.

 

            The following year, the kid was trying out with University of Santo Tomas’ varsity five under Rogelio Serafico. He was not recruited. He just tried out and made it. That year, he was a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) senior, together with – among others – Lawrence Mumar, George Lizares and Andrew Malkinson.

 

            Five years later, they were to play in the same tournament but under different banners. In the 1973 National Seniors, Mumar was with Universal Textile, Lizares with Mariwasa, Malkinson with Jewels Athletic Club and William Adornado with a Crispa team that was trying to recover from the forcible loss of six stalwarts.

 

 

 

            Without Danilo Florencio and Adriano Papa on the forward line, Crispa coach Virgilio (Baby) Dalupan turned to Adornado to supply the needed firepower that might generate a barrage that would flatten all opposition as the old battery did. The pressure was on “Bogs” Adornado to deliver or face up to what many thought was fact – that Adornado without Florencio and Papa cannot deliver.

 

            And Adornado went all out to try and fill the shoes of the two, in the process, burning the oops for 238 points in nine games for a lofty average of 26.44, and scoring a rare double by collaring free throw honors too with a .941 rate of conversion, including a string of 26 hits before winding up with 32 out of 34.

 

            Looking back at it all, tall (6’2), well-set (170 lbs.), Willie Adornado, curly top, at-times wayward left eye (banlag) and all, couldn’t keep from laughing.

 

            “My coach now (Baby Dalupan) is the same guy who tried to have me muzzled during my UAAP days,” he said. And his top partner in UAAP scoring, Larry Mumar, is now one of his keenest rivals in scoring.