ROGER Pogoy was among those personally affected by the sudden passing of former Purefoods first-round pick Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Enterina.
The former PBA player was a neighbor of Pogoy in Talisay, Cebu, but more so, was among the first mentors who helpd mold his game.
“Isa siya sa mga nag-train sa akin dito nung bata pa ako,” said Pogoy of Enterina.
READ: Ex-PBA player Rudy Enterina dies in Cebu moto accident
“Elementary yata ako nung sumali ako sa training camp niya dito sa amin,” added the TNT shooting guard.
Enterina met an untimely death early morning of Saturday when his motorcycle rammed into a trailer track along South Road Properties in Cebu.
He just turned 58 last February.
As a tribute to Enterina, Pogoy posted a photo of him with the former UV stalwart during his younger years in Cebu.
“Rest in paradise, coach Enterina,” said Pogoy in the caption posted on his Facebook page.
“Mga high school na yata ako niyan,” he said when asked about when the photo was taken.
Enterina was the top pick of Purefoods (No. 6 overall) in the 1991 draft class topbilled by big man Alex Araneta.
A fellow Cebuano in Rhoel Gomez was selected in the second round (No. 11) by Alaska.
Enterina won a championship with the Hotdogs during the All-Filipino conference that same season and stayed with the franchise for two years. He also won the PBA 2-on-2 Challenge in tandem with Kevin Ramas while still with Purefoods in 1992.
He later split time with Sta. Lucia and Ginebra before leaving the league by the end of the 1993 season.
Enterina played a total of 82 games in the PBA and averaged 3.7 points.
The Cebuano cager later made a comeback with the Cebu Gems during the 1998 Metropolitan Basketball Association season.
Upon retirement, Enterina established a coaching career and called the shots for UV and Don Bosco College.
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