TIM Cone once listed Vergel Meneses as one of the superstars he wished he had a chance to coach in the PBA.
The feeling, it turned out, was mutual.
Meneses admitted he would’ve loved to play under the legendary coach at Alaska after knowing about the then Milkmen’s longtime desire to get him since he was a rookie aspirant.
“Nung 1996, kinukuha ako ng Alaska,” Meneses bared on the Locked Down podcast on Sports Beat PH. “Yung Alaska, talagang kinukuha nila ako. Kasi nung 1992, ako yung gustong kunin ng Alaska kaso kinuha ako ng Presto [sa PBA draft].
READ Cone wishes he had chance to coach these superstars in PBA
“So 1996, kinukuha pa rin ako ni coach Tim Cone,” added Meneses, the 1992 PBA Draft No. 1 overall pick who was then playing for Sunkist under the RFM franchise. “Hanggang hindi nagpu-push through ang negotiation between RFM and Alaska.”
After his PBA MVP run in 1995 when he led Sunkist to a near-grand slam, Meneses, in retrospect, would’ve had another shot at the rare feat later had he been traded to Alaska which captured the hat-trick a year later.
The Aerial Voyager felt he could have had a chance to spread his wings further had he played for Cone at Alaska, another powerhouse team bannered by Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa, and Bong Hawkins.
“Ako kasi, gusto ko rin mapunta kay coach Tim talaga. Siya yung sa tingin ko na yung game ko is mag-iimprove,” the 6-foot-3 high-flyer out of Jose Rizal University said.
“At the same time parang mas magiging madali yung trabaho ko – Johnny, Jolas, Bong Hawkins. Para ma-lessen din yung pressure sa’kin nung nasa RFM ako.”
Meneses eventually got the chance to play for Cone with the Centennial team in the 1998 Asian Games.
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But at the club level, Meneses would’ve had a similar abundance to support among the Milkmen.
“Nakita ko din naman sa Alaska, very supportive ang bawat isa sa mga players eh,” Meneses said of the model organization owned by Fred Uytengsu.
Would he still have emerged as the top offensive option in a star-studded Alaska cast?
“Dun naman sa triangle [offense], depende,” Meneses said. “Nakikita ko naman sa kanila, si Johnny, sila Bong Hawkins, si Jolas, nakikita ko naman sa kanila pag pinapanood ko sila, for example, hot si Jolas, tulong sa kanila. Like sila Bong, yung mga little things na rebounding, depensa, yun talagang as a team makikita mo sa Alaska.”
But with the help he would’ve gotten, Meneses wondered if he could’ve won another top individual award.
“Baka lang ha – baka nanalo pa ako ng isang Most Valuable (Player) siguro,” Meneses beamed.
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