A FAMILIAR face – and foe – briefly hooked up with former Barangay Ginebra coach Rino Salazar in Las Vegas.
Salazar met former PBA Best Import Kenny Redfield at a gym in Sin City as their paths crossed unexpectedly.
Redfield was in town to accompany his son in a basketball camp at the facility where Salazar ironically, was also around.
“May isang Filipino na nasa gym din. Nakilala niya si Redfield. Sabi niya andiyan si coach Rino ng Ginebra,” recalled Salazar.
READ: Salazar says Jaworski 'did a lot of things so well he made it look ordinary'
The prolific import, who suited up for Purefoods, Formula Shell, Pepsi, and Sta. Lucia, lost no time approaching Salazar and catching up briefly with the retired PBA coach.
“Nakilala ko siya agad. Parang hindi nagbago, e,” said Salazar of the 6-foot-4 Redfield, who won Best Import in the 1994 and 1996 Commissioner’s Cup with Purefoods and Shell, respectively.
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“Sa Chicago siya nakatira pero nandito sa Las Vegas dahil sinamahan 'yung anak niya sa basketball camp. Kuwentuhan lang kami ng sandali,” added the former Toyota and Yco player, who’s been a Las Vegas resident for more than two decades now.
Salazar would have wanted to spend more time talking to Redfield, but the camp was about to end, while the game he was going to officiate was about to start.
“Patapos na kasi yung camp, and may game na rin kami. Kaya hindi kami gaano nakapag-usap ng matagal,” he said.
Salazar was top deputy of Barangay Ginebra under Sonny Jaworski when Redfield suited up for Shell and figured in a dramatic playoff against Ginebra for the last finals berth of the 1996 Commissioner’s Cup.
The game would be best remembered for Redfield’s amazing half-court heave at the buzzer, his shot off the glass winning the game for the Turbochargers, 89-86, and giving them the right to face Alaska in the best-of-seven title series.
Ginebra had a chance to win the game earlier, but import Henry James' three-pointer was swatted away by Benjie Paras, with Redfield eventually picking off the ball, hurriedly dribbling downcourt as time ticked away, before releasing the long shot that went in at the buzzer.
Shell lost the finals, though, against the Sean Chambers-led Alaska, 4-3.
Redfield however, already owned a championship before when he steered Purefoods to the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup championship past Alaska under coach Chot Reyes.
Salazar won one PBA championship as head coach of Shell in the 1992 First Conference and a couple more as Jaworski's top deputy at Ginebra.
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