Remembering The Arsenal

The Coca-Cola Tigers entered the league in 2002, immediately winning a title in its maiden year, then followed it up with 3 more consecutive finals appearances the next year, culminating in a second title in December 2003.

It was dynasty in the making, too bad it was short-lived.

Chot Reyes was tasked to coach the national team and was never able to return to the team.  Rudy Hatfield, the team's best player at that time, got caught up in nationality issues.  He too, never came back to Coke.

But perhaps what formally culminated that "golden era" was when Jeffrey Cariaso got traded.  Along with Reynel Hugnatan and draft picks, he was sent to Alaska in exchange for center Ali Peek and guard John Arigo.  Since then, the Tigers never entered the semis again until recently.

For the next seven years, the Tigers bounced around the cellar.  From contenders to laughingstocks.  For seven years, everything looked bleak.



But no matter how bad the situation goes, there's always a nice thing or two in there somewhere.  For me, it was John "The Arsenal" Arigo.

Arigo became my instant favorite when he came to Coke.  By PBA standards, his physique was above average.  He was 6'4", and he naturally towers over any other opposing shooting guard in the league.  He would post up over smaller guys and he would basically just shoot over them.  He was lanky and to some extent, he even looked like the local version of Reggie Miller.

John was a talented scorer as well.   His jump shot was fluid and his stroke was smooth.  He was never really a deadly 3-point threat, but his midrange was a beauty to watch.  He could do a Kobe impersonation with his turnaround jumpers.  It doesn't always connect, but it was picturesque.

John Arigo was pretty athletic too, especially in his earlier years. He joined a couple of slam dunk contests and was one of only a handful of guards in the league capable of posterizing opposing big men.

Not everyone loved "The Arsenal" though.   Some felt he was cocky and brash.  I believe it was just swagger, which was natural from any young player.  This impression of him gradually disappeared in later years.

In some ways, Arigo was like Gary David in terms of how people viewed him.  He was very talented, but he was never really considered a top-tier player because of his failure to lead his team deep into the playoffs.  The Tigers' best finish during Arigo's tenure was only a quarterfinals appearance.  The only difference was, David got to elevate his status when he finally led the Tigers into the finals.  John Arigo never did.

Or perhaps, was never given enough chance to do so.

Coca-Cola was never really able to surround John with enough talent.  Part to be blamed was the infamous trade with the Ginebra Kings that stripped the team bare, giving away top big men Rafi Reavis, Rudy Hatfield, and Billy Mamaril in exchange for scrubs.  John and Ali tried their best to carry the team season after season, but they could only do so much.

Some help came actually, in the form of rookie sensation Ronjay Buenafe.   I remembered Ronjay's first game, when he and Arigo top-scored for Coke to beat the Welcoat Dragons.  Arigo finished with 28, Ronjay debuted with 16.   I remembered that game well for I thought that was the beginning of something big.

But then John got injured later that season and he was sidelined for quite some time.

What really irked me at that time though was when John finally recovered, the coach refused to play him.  It was not like he was not yet fully healed, the coaching staff even said he was 100%.  But for no apparent reason, he was benched.  This could've been especially hard for John.  He went from being the main gun to becoming a third stringer.  Of course, there could be some story behind this that perhaps I will never know, but I think this triggered the downfall of Arigo's PBA career.  And he hasn't even turned 30.  He was the team captain, and that wasn't how a captain is supposed to be treated.  He completely lost confidence.

When the coach was finally replaced, Arigo got more minutes and was back to the rotation.  Only this time he was no longer the top dog.  That belonged to Asi Taulava, backed up by youngsters Alex Cabagnot and Buenafe.  Arigo was relegated to the bench.

There were some flashes of brilliance, when he scored 31 points against Red Bull, and then had a vintage dunk in a game against Rain or Shine.   Somehow though, John never really seemed to rediscover his old form again, and he was released from the team after that season.  Not traded, but released, like some surplus material that has outlived its usefulness.

Red Bull, who was having some financial struggles to stay in the league that time, picked him up.  Arigo left after a season and had some salary issues with the team.  He left the PBA, and he never came back.

Fingers crossed, I had a wishful thinking that maybe Coke could sign Arigo at that time, and that he could finish out his career with the Tigers.  That could've been a more fitting and better ending.  Sadly, that never really came to fruition.

Some years later, an interview revealed that Arigo was back to his homeland in the US.  He continues to play basketball but he has no more intention of coming back to the PBA.  Maybe there were still some scars left, but he seemed happy and content in that interview, and somehow I think that ending isn't bad at all either.

He could've been one of the best in the league.  He could've won another title or two if he had a much better support cast.  He perhaps could even still be playing today if not for that injury, and the way he was treated soon thereafter.

Nonetheless, he was our team captain for 4 seasons.  Despite the struggles of the team, he never once whined nor demanded to be traded.  He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable era in Tigers basketball.  He was our trump card.. our best weapon.. OUR ARSENAL.

And that's how he should be remembered.


Roar out.