A CLUTCH player who could do it all. That more or less summarizes how good a player Arnulfo 'Arnie' Tuadles was.
Seen as a player who should have been in the PBA Greatest Players list much earlier, Tuadles was a member of the Mythical Five when he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 with Toyota. He later played for Great Taste, Ginebra, Alaska, Shell, and Presto.
Tuadles, however, tragically passed away in 1996 at the age of 40.
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Atoy Co, one of his rivals during the Crispa-Toyota days and a member of the selection committee that picked the 10 new additions to the PBA Greatest Players list including Tuadles, described him as a player you wouldn't want to play against.
“Si Arnie, ayaw ko na siya ang dumedepensa sa akin kasi maliksi rin siya, versatile ang paglalaro niya,” said Co. “Kahit nasa labas ako, hahabulin niya ako, sa loob postehan ko, kaya niya akong depensahan sa loob.”
Co also said the 6-foot-3 Tuadles is the kind of player who did not hesitate to take big shots at crunch time when he played for Toyota.
“Magaling na siyang defensive player, magaling pa siya na offensive player,” Co added. “Also, he is willing to hit big shots. Makikita mo ‘yung pagka-habulan, makikita mo na hinihingi niya ‘yung bola. Ibig sabihin, if you are a good player, big-time player, hindi magtatago sa bola.”
Caidic's idol
Allan Caidic, another member of the selection committee, donned the No. 11 jersey during his University of the East days because of Tuadles.
“Idol na idol ko ‘yan,” said Philippine Star sports editor Nelson Beltran, recalling his conversation with Caidic during deliberations. “Number ni Arnie, dinala niya.”
Even late in his career, Tuadles still had those qualities along with his knowledge of the game from his experience, as attested by his former Formula Shell teammates Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc.
“Ang hirap depensahan,” said Paras of Tuadles, a teammate when the former won the MVP as a rookie in 1989. “Nung time naman na pinapanood ko siya nung Crispa-Toyota, eto ‘yung rason kapag Crispa fan ka, eto ‘yung taong magagalit ka eh dahil isa siya sa nagpapanalo sa Toyota.”
“He was very smart,” said Magsanoc. “Kayang maglaro ng big man position, kayang maglaro ng small man position. At ang mabigat, hitting the big shots that made it easier for the likes of the late Bobby Parks, Benjie Paras, myself, Jolly Escobar, and even Terry Saldana.”
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