For today however, let us try to look back at the franchise' past drafts and count down the top 5 picks in franchise history. Qualified are all players drafted by the Coca-Cole Tigers from its first season in the league (2002) until last year's draft. Note: Sean Anthony was drafted by Air21, but was traded to Powerade on draft night, so in essence, it was the Tigers that drafted him.
Of note as well, I only took into consideration the player's contributions and achievements during his time with the team. How that player performed after he left the team is not taken into account in this ranking.
So without further ado..
5. Denok Miranda
- Drafted 3rd overall in 2005 by Coca-Cola
- 2005-2006 PBA All-Rookie Team
- Played 1 1/2 seasons with the team before traded to Sta Lucia in a deal that brought Alex Cabagnot to Coke.
- Stats with Coke (rookie year): 7.3 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 rpg, 27.7 mins/game,
When the Coca-Cola Tigers were on the clock for the 3rd pick in the 2005 PBA draft, Mac Cardona was still on board. Instead, Coke drafted Denok Miranda, a pointguard from FEU. At that time, it made sense. Coke was looking for a young successor to the aging Johnny Abbarientos, so while Cardona was obviously the best talent available, the Tigers opted to select Denok. As we all know by now, Cardona has become one of the best scorers in the league while Denok settled into a role player, albeit a good one.
Actually, that pick wasn't really that bad. Denok was immediately plunged into a starting role and had a very solid rookie year with the team. He played very composed and analysts likened him to a veteran with his poise inside the court. It also helped to have 2 great pointguards with the team at that time providing guidance, Johnny A. and Hector Calma, who was then Coke's team manager.
Miranda's most memorable moment with the team was hitting a game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to beat Alaska 99-98, in a wildcard game in 2006, perhaps one of the wildest finishes in team history.
4. Sean Anthony
- Drafted 6th overall in 2010 by Air21 (traded to Powerade on draft night)
- 2011 PBA Blitz Game Co-MVP
Maybe in due time, Anthony will occupy the top spot in this ranking, but for now, he will have to settle with fourth.
Drafted by Air21, Anthony was immediately shipped to Powerade. Anthony impressed scouts during the rookie camp despite playing with a mask due to a broken nose. In his debut game with the Tigers, Anthony immediately contributed and grabbed 12 rebounds. Unfortunately, his nose injury was aggravated during practice and he was advised to sit out for at least 5 weeks. The tough cookie that he is, Sean came back earlier and played a couple of games before the conference ended, scoring a career-high 29 points against Alaska in the team's last game.
Anthony's hustle and defense are very valuable to the team, and if he manages to stay healthy, he could become a big-time contributor next season.
3. Ronjay Buenafe
- Drafted 11th overall in 2007 by Coca-Cola
- 2007-2008 PBA All-Rookie Team
- 2008 PBA Blitz Game MVP
Every Tiger fan just loved watching Ronjay Buenafe. His wide array of hangtime acrobatics and crossovers never failed to impress. He scored 16 points coming off the bench in his debut game and finished the season averaging 11.17 points, playing in 42 games. What was more remarkable was Buenafe's performance in crunchtime situations. He hit 3 game-winners in his rookie season, including a jumpshot from the top of the key in a wildcard game versus San Miguel to force a sudden death.
Buenafe never averaged more than 25 mins/game in his 2 seasons with Coke, but he averaged in double-digits in points in both seasons, which is a testament of his scoring ability.
The ''Red Dragon'' was thought to be the team's future franchise player, that is why many were surprised and disappointed when he was traded prior to the start of the 2009-2010 season.
2. Gary David
- Drafted 10th overall in 2004 by Coca-Cola
- League leading scorer in 2010 - 2011 season (21.8 ppg)
Only #2 for Mr. Pure Energy?!? Well, as I mentioned above, I only took into account how the players performed during their time with Coke, and David's rookie season with Coke wasn't that impressive, averaging 6.9 points in about 14 mins/game. David struggled to find playing time as a rookie playing behind Jeffrey Cariaso, who was Coke's alpha male at that time. After he was traded to Air21, David would then play his best years, where he was named to the 1st Mythical Team in 2008, and became a 2-time all-star.
When he returned to the Tigers 5 years later in 2009, there was no holding back for Gary D. He averaged more than 20 points (leading the league) in the past 2 seasons. Since he is still with the team now, he still has a chance to unseat the top guy in this list.
- Drafted 2nd overall in 2002 by Coca-Cola
- Most improved player (2003)
- Played in 187 games with Coke from 2002 - 2006
- Lead the team in rebounding from 2003 - 2006
- 4 finals appearances and 2 titles with the team
The only player in the list to win a title with the team. Reavis manned the shaded area for the Tigers for 4 seasons. He played sparingly in his rookie season, playing behind veteran center Poch Juinio, but took over the position in his second year, where he improved his scoring from 4.6 to 10.4, and his rebounding from 3.8 to 8.3.
Reavis' length and defensive abilities were key factors for the Tigers' success from 2002-2003. That Coke team was known for its defense, and Reavis along with Rudy Hatfield, would spearhead the Tigers' defense. In 2005-2006, his final season with the team, Reavis averaged 11.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, before he was sent to Ginebra along with Billy Mamaril and Rudy Hatfield in one of the most lopsided and infamous trades in league history. Since then, the team have struggled to replace his spot. From the undersized Ali Peek, to Mark Telan, to guys like Manny Ramos, Gilbert Lao and Mike Gavino, nothing seemed to work. It was only until the team acquired Asi Taulava that the team was able to field a quality center once again.
Other Notables:
RJ Rizada (12th overall in 2006) - Rizada's career stats doesn't stand out, but he actually is the longest-tenured Tiger in franchise history. He had played spot-up minutes for John Arigo, Ronjay Buenafe, and now Gary David. He had been tasked to guard imports. Truth be told, his staying power is simply amazing.
Joseph Yeo (3rd overall in 2006) - Yeo's rookie year somewhat mirrored Gary David's. It was tough for Yeo to play significant minutes with Coke's leading scorer John Arigo playing the same position as him. While Yeo had a decent rookie year (7.4 ppg in just 16 mins/game), he was shipped out after a year. Just like David, he also had his best years after he was traded. I had high hopes for Yeo, but the coaching staff didn't feel the same. Yeo would eventually become an integral part of the Sta. Lucia squad that won the 2007-08 Philippine Cup title.
Chris Pacana (15th overall in 2006) - a virtual unknown when he was drafted by Coke, he went on to surprise many people with his decent play during his rookie season. He averaged a respectable 5.69 ppg, 3.1 rebs/game, and 2.2 asts/game in his lone season with Coke. He would go on to win a title while playing for the Ginebra Gin Kings.
