BY the time the PBA celebrates its golden anniversary two years from now and selects its Top 50 players of all time, Yeng Guiao is vouching for the inclusion of the late Terry Saldana in the list.
“I think Terry deserves to be in the Top 50 players,” said the Rain or Shine coach of the player who was a major part of Guiao's first two championship-winning teams in the pro league.
Saldana died on Wednesday due to kidney failure at the age of 64.
READ: PBA great Terry Saldana dies aged 64
In his prime, he distinguished himself as one of the league’s unstoppable forces underneath in a 17-year pro career that netted him four championships and the first PBA Most Improved Player award handed out in 1983.
He was also the first to suit up in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league straight out of high school at 17 years old, although the age issue later became a bone of contention during his rookie year at Toyota.
For those feats alone, Guiao believes the player known as the ‘Plastic Man’ deserved a place in the pantheon of PBA’s greatest players.
“I want to remember him winning championships with us. I want to remember him having good times with our players and myself. I want to remember him being the youngest PBA player to ever come out of high school na hindi na magagawa ngayon kasi yung rules natin hindi na puwede,” said Guiao.
“And actually kahit puwede yun I don’t know of any player coming out of high school who can be as good as he was when he came out of high school.
A player now needs to be 22 years of age to become eligible in the PBA draft.
“Historically, yung sinasabi ko nga dun lang sa area na yun wala namang nakagawa nun. Dun sa Top 50 players natin, wala namang pumasok na 17 years old diyan at dinominate yung league eh,” Guiao added.
Saldana made his PBA debut as a young rookie for a talent-laden Toyota team in 1982, and yet showed a lot of promise early on.
That potential eventually would be showcased when he transferred to the La Tondena franchise, which earlier carried the brand name Gilbey’s Gin before evolving into Ginebra San Miguel.
Saldana helped Ginebra and playing-coach Robert Jaworski win the first franchise championship during the 1986 Open Conference, only to find himself sidelined a year later after figuring in a horrifying injury that saw him twist his knee badly following a bad fall while attempting to block a shot during a Ginebra-Hills Bros game in 1987.
He resurfaced at Alaska in a brief stint in 1988, before rebooting his career under Guiao when the RFM franchise entered the league as an expansion team in 1990.
Saldana would again be part of Swift’s very first PBA championship in the 1992 Third Conference along with dynamic import Tony Harris and the very first Commissioner’s Cup crown in 1993 featuring the late Ronnie Thompkins.
“Yung early successes namin sa Swift, he was a main contributor,” said Guiao of Saldana, who also played for Formula Shell, Gordon's Gin, and Red Bull following his stint with the RFM team.
“Nakita ko siya at his prime, parang invinsible siya e,” added the champion coach who’s very much awed by Saldana’s basketball talent. “Sa lakas ng katawan ni Terry, sa galing niya nung araw para siyang import actually.”
So it saddened Guiao upon learning Saldana’s situation years later, and eventually when he got the news that his former player just passed away.
“Yung years na may failing health na siya, heartbroken na ako for him,” said the Rain or Shine coach.
The PBA already had its first Top 40 Players of All-Time in the past. Ten more will be added to the list when Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league turns golden in 2025.
And Guiao rightfully believes Saldana shouldn’t be left out of it.
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