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PBA: Stars in their 40s do their best to fight off Father Time

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Dominic Menor, ABS-CBN News

<p>Young fans who have only heard the names Jayjay Helterbrand, Mick Pennisi, Danny Seigle and Asi Taulava in the past season or two were deprived of seeing four of the most stellar and consistently effective players the league has ever seen.</p><p>They have a total of 19 PBA championships, 14 Mythical Team selections and more than 2,300 games combined.</p><p>But these days, these members of &quot;club 40&quot; — players north of 40 years old — are picking up more fouls than making field goals (26-22). In some nights, they&#x27;re collecting DNPs.</p><p>The more current followers of the PBA see the aforementioned four as end-of-the-bench players with little to offer but relief for their younger teammates who are now this generation&#x27;s superstars.</p><p>To those who have been watching the league since the turn of the century, that quartet are more known as all-stars, national team shoo-ins, key contributors to championship teams and MVPs.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/3/010317-jayjay-helterbrand.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">With his flashy play at point guard, Jayjay Helterbrand helped usher in a new generation of Ginebra fans.<em> Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Jayjay Helterbrand, 40, Barangay Ginebra, 16 seasons</strong></div><p>At his peak: The team drew a new, younger set of fans in the 2000s, as Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa took the mantle from Sonny Jaworski as the twin faces of the league&#x27;s most popular franchise. </p><p>The 5-foot-11 Helterbrand ran the point, a rare big playmaker who can shoot from anywhere on the floor. He helped lead Ginebra to 9 finals appearances and 4 championships overall, on top of winning the MVP in 2009. He wasn&#x27;t all-star caliber anymore when he won his fifth title last year, but as a role player he provided an occasional spark that proved crucial to the team winning the Governors&#x27; Cup.</p><p>Now: He&#x27;s had 4 DNPs in 6 games and the two games he&#x27;s played in he totaled just 12 minutes of court action. He had planned to retire after the 2016 season, but was apparently <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/21/16/ginebras-helterbrand-to-postpone-his-retirement" target="_blank">convinced</a> to return after Ginebra&#x27;s Governors&#x27; Cup victory. Regardless of how many more championships the team wins this year, it looks like this will be his last season, his 16th with the only PBA team he&#x27;s ever played for. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/3/010317-mick-pennisi.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Mick Pennisi embodied the ultimate stretch big man. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Mick Pennisi, 41, GlobalPort, 17 seasons</strong></div><p>At his peak: One of the first big men to embrace and excel at scoring from the perimeter, Pennisi was the consummate role player. He doesn&#x27;t have the glowing individual trophies compared to the other guys on this list, but he has 5 championships, 9 finals appearances and numerous stints with the Philippine national team, accomplishments which say a lot about his value as a supporting cast member.</p><p>Now: Teams can never have enough shooters and Pennisi being a near-7-footer with range makes him more coveted. That&#x27;s likely the reason why he&#x27;s averaging the most playing time (18 minutes) among the four in this list and he&#x27;s without a DNP in six games. He&#x27;s shooting 8 of 16 from three-point territory, on top of averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/3/010317-dany-seigle.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">In his prime with San Miguel, Danny Seigle was an unstoppable scorer. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Danny Seigle, 40, Talk N Text, 15 seasons</strong></div><p>At his peak: He was one of the most prolific scorers ever to play in the league and probably what the PBA had in mind when it welcomed more foreign-born Filipino players into its fold. A 6-foot-6 forward who can shoot and attack the basket in the half court or on the open floor, Seigle was almost unguardable. It&#x27;s a shame a myriad injuries set him back some during his prime, but the eight-time champion and arguably the best player to never win MVP will be best remembered as one of the PBA&#x27;s most electrifying players to set foot on its court.</p><p>Now: It&#x27;s hard to reconcile the days when Seigle was a dominant scorer and now that he&#x27;s barely seeing any action at all. He&#x27;s played in one game for a mere 3 minutes and has incurred five straights DNPs, this after a 2015-16 season that saw him play in just 15 games averaging a shade below 14 minutes and just 6.6 points. It won&#x27;t be surprising to see him finally hang it up by season&#x27;s end.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/3/010317-asi.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">After being named to the Mythical Team last season, Asi Taulava has seen his production dip in the current Philippine Cup. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Asi Taulava, 43, NLEX, 17 seasons</strong></div><p>At his peak: Taulava&#x27;s entry into the PBA sent shockwaves throughout the league because, with a man of his heft, how in the world were teams going to stop him? He was tall and wide, Shaq-lite if you will, and he was money down the blocks. He was league MVP in 2003 and surprisingly just a one-time champion, but his rare gifts of size and skill, and occasionally outrageous hairdos left an indelible mark not only in local professional basketball but also on the national team, which he served for many years.</p><p>Now: Taulava is one of only two active players besides Seigle who entered the league prior to 2000 (they both entered in 1999). His name came up in trade talks, which have been <a href="http://www.spin.ph/basketball/news/asi-advised-to-accept-role-at-nlex-in-light-of-decision-to-reconsider-demand-about-possible-trade-" target="_blank">resolved</a>. He&#x27;s coming off a season averaging Mythical Selection-worthy numbers of 13.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 31.8 minutes. His stats are significantly down to start the Philippine Cup, with averages of 3.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and slightly more than 14 minutes.  </p><p>For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a></p>

<p>Forget their current declining versions. It's best to remember Helterbrand, Pennisi, Seigle and Taulava at a time when they ruled the PBA.</p>

Forget their current declining versions. It's best to remember Helterbrand, Pennisi, Seigle and Taulava at a time when they ruled the PBA.

PBA: Stars in their 40s do their best to fight off Father Time

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PBA: Stars in their 40s do their best to fight off Father Time

Dominic Menor,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 04, 2017 12:02 AM PHT

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Updated January 04, 2017 12:33 AM PHT

Read More:

PBA

Asi Taulava

Jay-jay Helterbrand

Mick Pennisi

Danny Siegle

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