1996 Sunkist Orange Bottlers season
1997 → |
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The 1996 Sunkist Orange Bottlers season was the seventh season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Draft pick
| Round | Pick | Player | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Joselito Rodriguez | UNO-R
|
Occurrences
Tony Harris came back as their import in the Governor's Cup, but the Hurricane could only play three games after Sunkist lost two straight matches to Shell and Purefoods. The coaching staff decided to replace Harris with a new import Lester Neal.
Notable dates
March 12: Vergel Meneses unloaded 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and led a breakaway by Sunkist in the last eight minutes as the defending All-Filipino Cup champions pulled off a 93-84 victory over San Miguel Beermen and evened up their won-loss record to three wins and three losses. [1]
June 21: Marques Bragg banged in a three-point play off Ronnie Thompkins with 14.5 seconds left to snap the final tie and Sunkist recovered from an early 16-point deficit to scuttle Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, 97-93. It was the Orange Bottlers first win in three games in the Commissioners Cup. [2]
September 29: Alvin Teng put back a miss by Tony Harris with 4.7 seconds left to lift Sunkist to a thrilling 93-91 victory over defending champion Alaska Milkmen at the start of the Governors Cup. [3]
Roster
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Transactions
Additions
| Name | Deal Information | Former team |
|---|---|---|
Gerardo Santiago
|
Rookie free agent | N/A |
| Siot Tanquingcen | Rookie free agent | N/A |
| Manny Victorino | Signed to a short-term contract late in the season to fill the spot of the injured Bonel Balingit | Purefoods (1994) |
Trades
| Off-season | To Yoyoy Villamin
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To Sunkist Alvin Teng |
| April 1, 1996 [4] |
To San Miguel Beermen #25 Nelson Asaytono |
To Sunkist Ato Agustin, Mar Morelos |
Recruited imports
| Tournament | Name | Number | Position | University/College | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Cup | Marques Bragg | 33 | Center-Forward | Providence College | June 14 to July 30 |
| Governors' Cup | Tony Harris | 22 | Guard-Forward | University of New Orleans | September 29 to October 6 |
| Lester Neal | 44 | Forward | Arizona State | October 11 to November 24 |
References
- ^ "Meneses stars as Sunkist blasts San Miguel". Manila Standard.
- ^ "Bragg stars as Sunkist squeakes past Purefoods". Manila Standard.
- ^ "Sunkist, SMB take Governor's Cup openers". Manila Standard.
- ^ "Asaytono now a Beerman". Manila Standard.