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Catching Up With: Blue Eagles legend Danny Francisco

Article (news)

Rey Joble

He may have had a short career in basketball, but for those people who watched him and able to coach him, Danny Francisco is arguably the best player never to play in the PBA.Blessed with a tremendous skill set — a player who can shoot from the perimeter, play solid at the post, block enemy shots, and has handles rarely seen in a 6-foot-7 at during that time — Francisco was the real deal.As a high-school player while playing for the Ateneo high school team coached by Chot Reyes, he had an undefeated run on his way to winning a championship.As someone who takes defeat seriously, he felt bad losing his first game in college against Benjie Paras and the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the 1987 season of the UAAP.“Isa sa mga unforgettable moments ko was yung talo namin sa UP, our very first game against UP. I was coming off a championship season nung high school na walang talo under Chot Reyes. To experience that loss, that was so hurtful. I could not believe that I could be a part losing a game,” said Francisco.Since then, Francisco made sure the losing won’t come along very often as he would play for a winning team.He led the Blue Eagles to back-to-back championships in the UAAP in 1987 and 1988, would represent the Philippine youth team to the 1989 Asian Basketball Confederation in Manila and played briefly in the PABL for Magnolia. A few weeks before the opening of the UAAP’s 1989 season, Francisco would announce his untimely retirement due to a heart ailment, ruining what could have been a promising basketball career. To the eyes of many, including Reyes and Derrick Pumaren, Francisco is arguably the best player never to play in the PBA.“It’s hard to think of anyone better that didn’t make it to the PBA. At least among those who’ve played for me,” wrote Reyes in a Viber message to ABS-CBN News.Pumaren saw his La Salle team led by his younger brother, Dindo, losing to fierce rival, Ateneo, led by Francisco in the 1988 UAAP finals showdown, but got the opportunity of coaching the latter with the Magnolia Ice Cream team in the PABL.“Danny and Jun Limpot were the two best big men in college during their time. Danny can run, can defend on the ball and will block shots on help defense. He’s got a perimeter game from 15 feet and under. He could have been one of the best big men that ever to play in the PBA, if not for his heart problem,” added Pumaren.When Francisco announced his retirement from playing, he has ventured into other things, but never shied away from sports. But whatever happened to Danny Francisco? Arguably the best player never to see action in the PBA?Francisco spent nearly two decades as a sports executive and is now serving as real estate management consultant.“The sports advocacy of Jean Henri Lhuillier was part of my responsibilities as executive assistant to Jean Henri. Since hinawakan ni Jean Henri yung Asaphil, I was secretary general until 2015. I also handled their basketball teams from 1997 to 2006,” added Francisco.As a sports executive, Francisco was involved in the teams being supported by Cebuana Lhuillier, including the Cebu Gems in the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association, and the Philippine men’s basketball team for a few years.Lhuillier’s group was also involved in supporting our local tennis players.But to many, they would marvel at seeing Francisco when he was inside the basketball court and during the peak of his career, Pinoy basketball fans saw the making of a future superstar.At least for brief moment, we were able to witness the lefty big man powering his teams to winning championships.But as early as his first season as a collegiate player, health issues had been a primary concern for Francisco.“Just a week before the championship game, I was hospitalized and it was very unfortunate. But I really felt the 1987 team was the team that would really win the championship. I was in my rookie year together with Olsen (Racela) and Jojo Habana. Most of the players really came from high school. Magkakakilala lahat. I was just a rookie. I got beaten up by Alex (Araneta) and Eric (Reyes) during practice. There’s no way to go but to really challenge yourself and approach every game na talagang kakalabanin mo silang lahat,” said Francisco.Ateneo was able to beat the Jerry Codinera-led UE Warriors, who a year earlier, were just dethroned as reigning two-time UAAP champions by the Fighting Maroons.But the Blue Eagles were able to accomplish the feat minus Francisco during the championship round.“A week before the finals, it was so unfortunate. I had a collapsed lung, it required some surgery. I was in the hospital and wasn’t even allowed to watch the game. I couldn’t really get excited. It was a total suspense sa akin until the guys totally won it. I’m very, very happy about it,” said Francisco.Back in those days, there was no internet and no cellphones and with the player being prohibited to watch the game, Francisco could only wait to receive the news right after the game.“There was absolutely no news. My parents were very worried that if I get excited, I’ll get too stressed out it might have an effect on my collapsed lung. Because I have a test tube,” said Francisco.“But I can clearly remember. I was about falling asleep already. Gabi na noon. All of a sudden, the team just barged in with the trophy and gave me the net of the ring. Yun actually yung pinaghirapan, not just ng isang player, but yung buong koponan. I was just so proud of them.”The next season, Francisco came back stronger and with a practically intact line up that also had future PBA players Jun and Eric Reyes, Olsen Racela and Alex Araneta, Dr. Jet Nieto, father of current young PBA players Matt and Mike Nieto, and Seph Canlas, the Blue Eagles were favored to repeat as champs amid the coaching change.Cris Calilan, the coach who guided Ateneo to the 1987 UAAP title, has assumed a bigger role as part of the coaching staff of the Purefoods Hotdogs in the PBA.Replacing Calilan was Fritz Gaston, a member of the Ateneo champion teams of 1975 and 1976 when the Blue Eagles were still competing in the NCAA.Francisco gave credit at how Gaston prepared the team in the 1988 season.“I consider the 1988 season as one of my better seasons. When I got operated on in the last game of the previous year, I took a leave just to rest my body then got back in shape for the 1988 season. I think that was the most memorable season I had as I only had two seasons in college,” said Francisco.“When you talk about that series, it is having to play with your advantages and Fritz was able to maximize. He was able to maximize our shooters, our guards and also the big men.”The marquee match up during the first ever UAAP championship showdown between Ateneo and La Salle was focused on the two star point guards — Dindo Pumaren of the Green Archers and Jun Reyes of the Blue Eagles.While Pumaren appeared to have more scoring production, it was Reyes who delivered the crucial baskets which allowed the Blue Eagles to gain momentum.“We were actually on the brink of losing the game before our last game. If not for the lay up of Jun. It was a nip and tuck affair. When we won that game and we already had that twice-to-beat advantage, we prepared for that championship game very well. I think from the mental aspect, everybody was just so focused on that particular game — that we don’t want to extend the series and lose another match,” said Francisco.But in the series-clinching victory, it wasn’t just Reyes who rose to the occasion.There’s also Francisco, who had a monster performance as he hit 14 points, including the last two free throws of the game. The big man also asserted his dominance by grabbing 24 rebounds and blocking three shots.The Blue Eagles close out the best-of-three series by winning Game 2, 76-70.“If you’re going to look at the numbers itself, one of the factors really was we outrebounded La Salle, we controlled actually the possessions. Although it was a nip and tuck affair, Dindo was scorching the basket. I think he had 30-plus points. Sa umpisa pa lang alam mo na si Dindo gagawa,” said Francisco.“But I would say Jun is a clutch player. Jun has this subtle confidence and it was very evident in that game. He started off really slow, and he had to build that momentum when we were down by six or seven points. Almost all the points came from him because Alex Araneta had a nice lay up during that run and it was courtesy of Jun and then Jun picked up five or seven straight points.”Racela and Araneta, who were fortunate enough to enter the PBA and became members of multiple champion teams, recalled how valuable Francisco’s role was in that series. Now a member of Tim Cone’s coaching staff at Ginebra, Racela believes Francisco’s role is a lot more valuable for the 1988 Ateneo champion team compared to Angelo Kouame’s role as the main man in the middle for the Blue Eagles’ present squad.Kouame is also Gilas Pilipinas’ current naturalized player.“Ako, feeling ko Danny was better than Kouame, I mean in terms of his value for us, mas malaki than Kouame now for Ateneo. Danny was not just a defensive player, he was an offensive threat as well,” said Racela.Araneta carried much of the big men’s load when Francisco was sidelined by illness in 1987. In 1988, the Blue Eagles had their overpowering and towering trio alongside Francisco and Eric Reyes.“One of my best memories of that series was when Danny blocked Dickie Bachmann’s hook shot three times in a row in one play. Dickie is one of my best friends now and I never let him forget that. I always give him a hard time about it,” recalled Araneta, who became teammates with Bachmann with Alaska’s champion teams in the 1990s.Francisco’s next bigger role happened in 1989 when he backstopped the Philippine youth team in the ABC tournament in Manila. The Filipinos settled for a bronze medal with Francisco also hitting the last shot of the game —a half court heave.“It was a lucky half court shot against Japan during the 1989 ABC Youth Championship,” added Francisco.Had he been healthy in all those years of playing, Francisco would have gone on accomplishing many things in his basketball career and that was one of his biggest regrets.“There are a lot of regrets. I regretted the fact that I couldn’t help Ateneo win five straight championships. We could have won five. There are a lot of what ifs. I could have played at a higher level. I could have played professionally,” added Francisco.“But in terms of regrets to myself, I think I have no regrets. In everything that I did in terms of playing, I came out as a champion. The qualities and the values that I’ve learned thru the sport, has also helped me or assisted me during difficult periods of my life in terms of my medical setbacks. Not a lof people knew, when I retired in 1989, the prognosis for my aneurism was I really had to have myself operated on. The doctors actually gave me a window of three years before I should have myself operated on. Within those three years, I told myself that I had to get a degree, finish my college and when I finished my college, I actually had to leave for the US right away to have my surgery. But I had to bargain. I had to bargain with the doctors by asking them if I could actually attend the graduation ceremony of Ateneo.”“After graduating, I had to bargain with them again if I could actually have a party. Graduation was in March, my birthday was in April, so I had to bargain with the doctors, ‘can I have a party in April?’ Who knows what’s going to happen to me. We had a party, then the following day, I left for the US. I had my operation. I was back in Manila after three weeks after an open heart surgery.”Francisco was out of the sport at 22. One could imagine Robert Jaworski played in the PBA until he was 52 and had the big man been blessed with a longer career, who knows how far he would have gone in terms of achievements.“After the UAAP, back-to-back, I was able to play for the national youth team that played in Manila, kasama ko sina Olsen, sina Vergel Meneses, Joey Guanio, Jun Limpot, EJ Feihl, we finished third. Because of that also, it allowed me to have a very short stint with Magnolia in the PABL and after the PABL, just before the third season in the UAAP, unfortunately I had to stop because of my heart ailment,” said Francisco.“Looking back, I think everything was providential for me. I played in the UAAP for 3 years, from high school to college. We came out as champions. In the game against La Salle, I had the last two points — via the free throws. When I played for the national team, I had the last shot when we beat Japan for the bronze. I think these were providential in a way that God was telling me it was probably my last games just before retiring because of my heart ailment. That was just a short career and I’m very happy for that.”But it was also thru the sport that he was able to become more resilient and stayed tough in all those years he was not playing basketball.“It was a major setback for somebody who was what – 22 years old? It was very difficult, but the values that I learned thru the sport, having that mental toughness the sense of sacrifice for my body to undergo that surgery, and the resiliency to actually make the necessary adjustments in my life. I think no regrets for me because I came out on top. Even to this day, I’m still continuing to learn. I’m in the corporate world, This whole new process is still continuing for me,” said Francisco.“Whenever I look back, that was 35 years ago. For all my teammates 35 years ago, there are a lot of things that could have happened. A lot of things that are continuing for me. But we’re all blessed. I have no regrets.”

Francisco is arguably the best player never to play in the PBA.