The Rise of the ISLANDERS
Backed-up by PERSISTENCE.
Fueled by PASSION.
Kabayan, it’s NEVER SAY DIE!
http://www.teamislanders.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX0g4gy_eCM --- Special Video Clip
Team Islanders’ story is another proof that Filipinos, no matter how hard it takes, no matter how many struggles to make, can still strive and head to victory. In the area of sportsmanship, losing moments did not hinder them from pursuing the glory of winning. In the end, it was the will, determination, passion and hard work of this team that gained them the prestigious back-to-back Championships.
Pictured: left to right
Jose Ebuen, Rhett Acelar , Bob Acelar, Bert Evangelista, Joey Ebuen, Alan Cabantan, Virgil Rodriguez, Romel Mandilag, Matt Baumbach, Tommy Gaddi, Michael McFeron, Bobet Banas, Joe Salvador, Justus Evangelista, John Anderson, In front, Ricardo Evangelista
It all started with one man, who, by his persistent belief and dedication, made possible the realization of the goal. Now his team has excelled in Portland, Oregon, USA. And they are to keep the winning momentum.
He’s the man! --- Joey Ebuen
e-BOTAK is proud to share another Ka-BOTAK story, as written by this one man who started it all.
Sometime in the spring of 1999, Joey Ebuen and his friends decided to join the 2nd Pinoy Shoot Out (PSO) Basketball league in Oregon.
With no sponsors to support them for uniforms and league dues, the players decided to chip in and pay for their own. Joey then had asked his uncle Butch Evangelista to coach the team. Thus was born Team KKK.
The team finished 3rd to the last that year, which was good for a first-timer. The following year, team KKK added a few new players to improve its standing in the league. Mainstays like Joey Ebuen, Mike McFeron, Charles Alagar, Dennis Alcantara and Justus Evangelista were supported by other talented players for its 2nd year in the league. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough and the team found itself again near the bottom.
On its 3rd year with the league, Joey joined Rodelo Asa to form the ASA Basketball Team. The five core players of the disbanded KKK team, were now joined by players who used to play together on Friday nights with coach Butch Evangelista. This 2001 ASA basketball team played well in spurts and was good enough to get to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the absence of a couple of important players denied team ASA their first-ever try for the championship. The following year, 2003, was supposed to be The Year for team ASA. The team recruited Bobet Banas to improve their front court. Again the team made it to the playoffs but was not good enough to make it to the championship.
After 4 years of frustration, Joey Ebuen decided that enough is enough. This time, he partnered with Rhett Acelar, son of the owner of The Islander Shipping Co., to revive the once mighty proud Islander Basketball Team. This team has a history of winning the championships in the many Asian Leagues it played in Oregon during the 70’s and the 80’s. The five mainstays of the team plus Bobet Banas are now joined by other good players personally picked by Joey to play in the 2004 PSO league. Bert Evangelista joined the team as an assistant to his younger brother Butch. The team played well during the regular season but during the final four, faltered at the game against Greenwood because of injuries to a couple of its stars, Mike and Justus. It may not have been a successful year for the comeback of team Islander but the team as a whole looked promising. In order to make it stronger, the team had to release Dennis to clear a spot for some new faces. Justus was suspended for the 2005 season and Mike has to sit it out due to a leg injury. However, the team was biffed up by Matt Baumbach, Len Kai, Alan Cabantan, Tom Gaddi and Jeff Parsons. The team racked up big wins when they were complete but were losing games when down to 6 or 7 players. The team was still dominated by the big ones like Bughaw, Ruckas, Greenwood and the likes. The team went to the playoffs as the 5th seed. This time the team was always “whole” and this time the other teams found it difficult to defeat them.
The team faced Bughaw for the championship and this time, TEAM ISLANDERS brought home the bacon…. Islander’s first-ever Pinoy basketball championship in the 21st century.
Now the question is, could Team Islanders pull off back-to-back championships? Hmmm, maybe.
Len Kai left the team to move to Arizona. Jeff Parsons did the same thing and returned to his home in California. Charles Alagar decided to hang up his jersey in order to spend more time with his wife and kids. Justus Evangelista and Mike McFeron returned to the team and were now joined by new recruits, Joe Salvador, John Anderson, Virgil Rodriguez and Romel Mandilag. The coaching staff added Charles for player direction and motivation.
The Team Islanders 2006 is now a completely new and stronger, younger, offensive-minded, defense oriented-team altogether! The players communicated well inside the court, better than they did the previous year. This team played like a championship team beating teams by 20 points or more and coming back to win games when down by 5 or 10 points and winning games even with only 6 players available. This team was unbeatable but no one was thinking about a 13-0 record for the regular season until they did get it.
Going to the playoffs, coach Butch reminded the team that the 13-0 record is meaningless if they lose a game from hereon. No pressure to the guys and they finish up the first 2 rounds with ease. The championship game was something to remember. The Portland Dragons gave team Islanders a game for their money. The Dragons had a 3 point lead in the last 2 minutes of the game after a seesaw battle. Team Islanders grabbed it back and led by 5 points with less than a minute to go. The Dragons converted a 3-point play with about less than 20 seconds left to play. They fouled an Islander player who missed both free throws that would have given the team a 4-point lead and a sure win. But no……it took a tough team defense to cause the Dragons to try a tough 3-point shot which missed by a long shot.
Therefore, Team Islanders won the PSO 2006 championship again…. And there they are, back-to-back champions!!!!
A 3-peat? Hmmm, let’s not think about that for now and allow this team to enjoy a whole year of bragging rights by being the 2005 and 2006 PSO champions.
The Players of the 2006 Team Islander:
Joey Ebuen – A fiery guard who is so quick… he is known as the “quick brown fox”. A wily and fun veteran player of the PSO league who also exemplifies his leadership, skills on and off the court. He is the one responsible for building the back-to-back champion teams.
Alan Cabantan – Another quick shooting guard who shoots 3-pointers just like a lay-up. MVP of the 2006 PSO and is a league veteran. He transferred from team Clark County and has been with the Islanders for the last 3 years.
Virgil Rodriguez – A wing player who moved from team Tambayan to the Islanders this year. Virgil showed some moves that will help the team in the coming years.
Romel Mandilag – It is Romel’s first year in the league --- a future tough center in the league.
Matt Baumbach – He has been the lone “import’ of the team in the last 3 years. Matt is an all-around player who can score, play defense and rebound. If stats are taken, he is probably the one who has accumulated the most triple double stats in the league. Matt plays both the center and wing position.
Tom Gaddi – One of the best power players of the team. When Tom is at his best, no one in the league can stop him. He has been named to the mythical 5 this year. He is a good center who really defended the other teams’ big guys very well.
Mike McFeron – It was a good come back try for Mike this year. Unfortunately, he sprained his knee prior to the championship game and had to sit it out again. When Mike is in his healthy stage, he is the best wing player the league has ever had. The team would like to see the Mike of 2 years ago back with them playing healthy. Mike is one of the original players of the team.
Bobet Banas – The Team Captain. Bobet is the leader and the warrior of the team. He is the other power player of the team and probably had pulled down a record number of rebounds in the league. There is no other way for Bobet to go but become a better player. Like Tom, Bobet can decide how much better they can be and how high they can fly. He has played his 4th year with the team.
Joe Salvador - This is Joe’s first year with the team and first time to play in the PSO league. Joe is a young player who can either play the guard or wing position. Joe is a streak shooter. When he is in his groove, the 3-pointers just come normal for him. Joe shows that he can also be a good defender and rebounder for this team.
Justus Evangelista – Another one of the original players of the team. Justus has been suspended for one season for disciplinary action. However, when he came back to play for this year’s team, he never showed any skill deterioration from the one-year layoff. Sometimes his temper gets the better of him but this year, he was able to control that well. Justus has been the top scorer of the team for the last 4 years. He scored 30+ points in the playoff game against Bughaw and against their best defender. He definitely can play either the point or shooting guard position.
John Anderson – The surprise player of the team. John ended up being the main guard this year. John showed leadership when he is inside the game and is one of those one’s whom you can trust to make the right decision at the right time. He is a coach’s voice inside the court. John will become one of the best players in this league.
Butch Evangelista – Head Coach of the team for the last 6 years. He loves basketball and he thinks that coaching is like putting himself in the court and yet he doesn’t have full control of a given situation. He loves the challenge and finally received the Coach of the Year award this year.
Bert Evangelista – Assistant Coach of the team for the last 4 years. According to Butch, “without Bert, I could never have made this team a successful one. Bert is the one who goes to each player to let them know what they are doing right or what they are doing wrong. He is the one who mellows down a player who is starting to feel bad when being taken out of a game. He is the one who challenges me to make a decision in tight situations. He and I are not just good brothers but are good teammates, too.”
Charles Alagar – He may not have been in most of the team’s games but when he is, Charles provides good input on what’s going on within a game. That helps in making good coaching decisions. Charles uses his veteran knowledge of the game after playing for 6 years in the league. He is one of the original members of the team.
Rhett Acelar- Rhett is co-owner and co-manager of Team Islanders. Rhett contributed his finances and his time in order to make sure Team Islanders was a success. Rhett was Joey’s go-to-guy during the recruitment process and sealed the deal with many players that were hesitant to join Team Islanders and the PSO to begin with. Rhett is also one of Team Islanders number one fans. |
