Tony dela Cruz
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | West Covina, California, U.S. | August 24, 1978
Nationality | Filipino / American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 209 lb (95 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Carson (Carson, California) |
College | UC Irvine (1996–1998) |
PBA draft | 1999: Direct Hire |
Selected by the Shell Velocity | |
Playing career | 1999–2017 |
Position | Small forward / power forward |
Coaching career | 2017–2021 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1999–2005 | Shell Velocity / Shell Turbo Chargers |
2005–2017 | Alaska Aces |
As coach: | |
2017–2021 | Alaska Aces (Assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Anthony Bryan Davis dela Cruz (born August 24, 1978) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player and coach. He played majority of his career for the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), where he also served as an assistant coach after his playing career. He is also a former member of the RP National Basketball Team.
Born in West Covina, California, Dela Cruz had a stint in the US NCAA and was named as Shell's direct hire recruit in 1999. He became a legitimate PBA All-Star player with the Shell Turbo Chargers and was dealt to the Aces prior to Shell's exit from the PBA before the start of the 2005–2006 season. Following the retirement of former player and now Blackwater Bossing head coach Jeffrey Cariaso in 2010, dela Cruz was named Alaska's team captain.
Early life and career
Dela Cruz was born in West Covina, California, as the middle child of the family with an older sister and a younger sister.[1] His Filipino father was an accountant while his American mother is a former bank analyst.[1][2][3] He grew up in Carson, and learned basketball at Carson High, then played two years at UC Irvine. In his final season with the UC Irvine Anteaters, he didn't score a point and was only able to attempt one field goal.[4]
Professional career
Shell Velocity / Shell Turbo Chargers
Dela Cruz joined the 1999 PBA Draft.[5] On December 30, 1999, he was chosen as the Shell Turbo Chargers' Fil-Am direct hire.[6] He signed a three-year deal with the team.[4] In a 2001 Governors' Cup game against the Pop Cola Panthers, he scored seven of his nine points in the fourth quarter and made a clutch steal off Johnny Abarrientos to seal the win.[7]
Dela Cruz gradually increased his scoring in his early seasons, from 6.2 points in 2002, to 14.5 points per game in 2003. During the
In the
Alaska Aces
2005–2007
On August 3, 2005, Dela Cruz was traded to the
In a
2007–2010
Dela Cruz started the 2007–08 Philippine Cup with 13 points in a loss to Talk 'N Text.[28] A month later, he scored 16 points in a win over Welcoat.[29] He then scored a season-high 31 points in a loss to Red Bull.[30]
During a
In a win over Purefoods, Dela Cruz scored eight of his 12 points in the clutch.
2010–2013
During the 2011–12 Philippine Cup, Dela Cruz had his best scoring game in the last four seasons with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field along with eight rebounds.[40] That season, he suffered a slipped disc injury, which put him out of action until the 2012 Governors' Cup.[41]
In a Game 1 win of their
2013–2017
In the 2014–15 Philippine Cup, Alaska reached the Finals once again.[45] However, they lost to the Beermen in seven games.[46] In a 2015 Commissioner's Cup game against Meralco, although Dela Cruz didn't score any points, he contributed five rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and one steal in 23 minutes while also limiting Meralco import Andre Emmett to just 24 points on 7-of-24 shooting.[47]
During the
In a 2016–17 Philippine Cup loss to the Beermen, Dela Cruz had 15 points.[52] On July 22, 2017, he became the 80th player to score 5,000 points.[53] At the end of the 2016–17 season, he retired.[54] In his final game, a loss to Rain or Shine, he had 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, six rebounds, and one block without a single turnover.[55] He was never called for a technical foul in his entire career.[56] On June 11, 2018, Alaska honored him with a tribute.[23][56]
Career statistics
Legend | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
PBA season-by-season averages
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Shell | 16 | 17.2 | .329 | .200 | .833 | 2.9 | .8 | .2 | .3 | 4.0 |
2001 | Shell | 37 | 14.5 | .374 | .250 | .611 | 2.5 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 3.4 |
2002 | Shell | 32 | 21.3 | .422 | .295 | .684 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .6 | .3 | 6.2 |
2003 | Shell | 35 | 34.3 | .443 | .417 | .716 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .3 | 14.5 |
2004–05 | Shell | 71 | 36.7 | .422 | .295 | .734 | 6.1 | 2.6 | .9 | .5 | 16.0 |
2005–06 | Alaska | 49 | 29.5 | .394 | .167 | .760 | 4.6 | 1.5 | .8 | .3 | 10.1 |
2006–07 | Alaska | 21 | 34.0 | .444 | .111 | .667 | 7.7 | 2.1 | .7 | .5 | 11.8 |
2007–08 | Alaska | 47 | 24.5 | .407 | .363 | .796 | 4.3 | .8 | .9 | .4 | 8.2 |
2008–09 | Alaska | 42 | 29.1 | .432 | .403 | .729 | 5.6 | 1.7 | .8 | .5 | 8.7 |
2009–10 | Alaska | 61 | 29.1 | .440 | .296 | .778 | 5.1 | 1.7 | .8 | .4 | 8.2 |
2010–11 | Alaska | 41 | 27.0 | .427 | .286 | .891 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .6 | 7.8 |
2011–12 | Alaska | 19 | 27.9 | .397 | .222 | .727 | 4.7 | 1.3 | .6 | .4 | 6.6 |
2012–13 | Alaska | 54 | 18.9 | .377 | .231 | .894 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .7 | .4 | 3.4 |
2013–14 | Alaska | 42 | 14.4 | .345 | .250 | .500 | 2.7 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 1.6 |
2014–15 | Alaska | 52 | 13.0 | .379 | .125 | .375 | 2.1 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 1.6 |
2015–16 | Alaska | 43 | 9.9 | .413 | .316 | .833 | 2.1 | .5 | .4 | .1 | 2.4 |
Career | 662 | 24.1 | .416 | .308 | .743 | 4.3 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 7.4 |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996–97 | UC Irvine | 26 | 0 | 12.1 | .286 | .429 | .143 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | .1 | .8 |
1997–98 | 8 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | ||
Career | 34 | 0 | 12.1 | .286 | .000 | .578 | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | .1 | .8 |
National team career
In 2004, Dela Cruz made his debut for the Philippine men's national team in the Global Hoops Summit.[3] He also played for the team in that year's Jones Cup.
In 2007, Dela Cruz suffered an ankle injury during the team's campaign in the
Post-playing career
In 2012, while recuperating from an injury, Dela Cruz became an assistant coach under Luigi Trillo for the
Aside from coaching with Alaska, Dela Cruz also coached high school boys and girls. In 2016, he was one of the assistant coaches for the SLAM Rising Stars Classic, a tournament of the 24 best high school prospects in the country.[65] The following year, he became the head coach.[66] He also coached young boys and girls through the Jr. NBA program.[67][68][69]
In 2019, Dela Cruz became an analyst for PBA Rush.[5] He was also one of the analysts for TV5's coverage of SEA Games basketball.[70] He also speaks in motivational seminars as a life coach.[71][1]
Personal life
Dela Cruz was married to Julie Primero.[3] They have two children, Marley and Mary Jane. In 2016, Primero filed a divorce lawsuit against him.[72] He is now married to Isabella 'Belay' Fernando, who is currently the team administrator of the Philippines women's national football team.[64][73]
Dela Cruz is open about his mental health struggles, as he suffers from stress and depression, which he has talked about in motivational seminars.[71] He used to self-medicate, and often drank alcohol.[5] He would also entertain suicidal thoughts, and nearly ended his life in 2013. After that attempt, he opened up about his struggles and began seeing a psychiatrist.
References
- ^ a b c "Ep. 13: Tony Dela Cruz: Filipino American Pro Basketball Player Turned Coach by Partially Pinoy". Spotify for Podcasters. July 15, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Henson, Joaquin M. (July 20, 2005). "Families come together". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Henson, Joaquin M. (August 4, 2005). "Good news for Tony". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Reyes, Marc Anthony (January 13, 2000). "Little-known Carmona gets P1.6 million offer from Beermen". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. B12. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Pamintuan, Carlo (May 19, 2021). "Why Tony Dela Cruz is vocal about the depression that nearly ended his life". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "'99 season: Paras' renaissance period". pba.ph. July 3, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Mallum, Noel (October 6, 2001). "Turbo Chargers halt Panthers' win streak". Manila Standard. pp. A12. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Vidal, Reuel (May 22, 2003). "Red Bull's win infuses life into Gins' bid". Manila Standard. pp. A8. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Ginebra Catch Last Bus to Quarters". Arab News. May 28, 2003. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Navarro, June (February 2, 2003). "Only 9 PBA vets get pay increase". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A19. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey (April 25, 2004). "De la Cruz powers Shell vs Red Bull". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "PBA Fiesta Conference: Red Bull ginulat ng Shell Velocity". Philstar.com. April 25, 2004. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "All-Star cast shows changing of the guards". Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 9, 2004. pp. A26. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Shell Keep Realtors Winless; Red Bull Whip Purefoods". Arab News. October 17, 2004. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Navarro, June (February 26, 2005). "Shell hands Dela Cruz P15-M deal". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A29. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (May 7, 2005). "PBA suspends 20 Fil-foreigners". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (June 13, 2005). "Never-say-die Shell ousts Sta. Lucia". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Orellana, Joey (July 9, 2005). "Menk named PBA's MVP". The Manila Times. pp. B8. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (August 3, 2005). "Shell takes leave of absence". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Red Bull bumangon". Philstar.com. October 10, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Navarro, June (October 20, 2005). "Aces up with Tee, crush Kings by 30". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A20. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Basa-Castillo, Grace (May 25, 2006). "Air21 in Big Win Against San Miguel". Arab News. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ a b "Itch to play still there, but teaching young Aces tops Tony's priorities". pba.ph. June 11, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Musong R. (November 27, 2006). "Aces sustain charge; Phone Pals triumph - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Inquirer.net. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Musong R. (December 21, 2006). "Kings collar semis ticket". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A18. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Musong R. (January 6, 2007). "Miranda breathes life into Coca-Cola's bid". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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- ^ Basa-Castillo, Grace (October 18, 2007). "Talk 'N Text Make a Statement in Win Over Alaska: PBA". Arab News. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Musong R. (November 25, 2007). "Aces vent ire on Dragons". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A19. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Calapre, Frank C. (February 16, 2008). "Red Bull settles for third place". The Manila Times. pp. A8. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "'King' Solomon powers Elasto Painters past Express". news.abs-cbn.com. October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Coca-Cola beats Red Bull, 88-66". news.abs-cbn.com. December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "Alaska routs Talk 'N Text in Game One". news.abs-cbn.com. January 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (February 12, 2009). "It's Talk N Text loud and clear". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Cone gets 602nd career win as Alaska downs Purefoods". news.abs-cbn.com. March 15, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Grace (November 24, 2009). "Aces pound Purefoods into submission". Arab News. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (February 13, 2010). "Aces lead Kings, 2-0; Giants win". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Velasco, Bill (September 28, 2010). "Alaska Aces 25 years: Above All, Doing Things Right". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Sabalo, Wenilyn; Lopez, Herty B. (August 19, 2010). "Alaska Aces eye All-Filipino title". SunStar Publishing Inc. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Alaska deals Powerade 4th straight loss | InterAKTV". Interaktv. November 19, 2011. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Belen, Reynaldo (March 15, 2012). "While recovering from injury, Alaska's Dela Cruz moonlights as Cebuana assistant coach | InterAKTV". Interaktv. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Lagunzad, Chris (December 13, 2012). "Aces, E-Painters take 1-0 edge". Yahoo News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "San Mig stands ground against Alaska in war of attrition to reach Final Four". Spin.ph. September 27, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ PAMINTUAN, CARLO (September 25, 2013). "PBA: Casio connects for 21 as Alaska forces do-or-die against San Mig Coffee". GMA News Online. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Sonny Thoss hoping history repeats itself as Alaska looks to mirror 2007 fightback against Talk 'N Text". Spin.ph. January 19, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Giongco, Mark (January 21, 2015). "San Miguel wins elusive Philippine Cup title, escapes Alaska in Game 7". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Sacamos, Karlo (June 9, 2015). "'Selfless' Alaska captain Tony dela Cruz earns praise from Compton after pitch-in job". Spin.ph. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Cadayona, Russell (April 22, 2016). "Greatest comeback sa Beermen: Kampeon sa PBA Philippine Cup". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ INQUIRER.net (April 22, 2016). "Alaska shuts down TNT, faces Meralco in semis". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Verora Jr, Levi (April 23, 2016). "Dela Cruz ready for challenge against younger wing men". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Gonzales, J. C. (May 18, 2016). "Rain or Shine wins second PBA championship". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Gonzales, J. C. (December 3, 2016). "Fajardo, Beermen escape gritty undermanned Alaska". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "LIST: All 83 Filipino players who reached 5,000-points milestone in PBA". news.abs-cbn.com. January 11, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Songalia, Ryan (September 20, 2017). "Alaska's Dela Cruz has played his last PBA game, Hontiveros leans towards retirement too". RAPPLER. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Sacamos, Karlo (September 20, 2017). "Ball is still life for Tony Dela Cruz as Alaska vet eyes coaching after ending 17-year PBA career". Spin.ph. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Dimasalang, Andrew (June 12, 2018). "Dela Cruz mag-iiwan ng marka sa Alaska". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Anthony dela Cruz :: PBA-Online!". pba-online.net. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Anthony DelaCruz College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "Cañaleta replaces injured Dela Cruz in RP basketball team". GMA News Online. May 23, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Co, Chris (August 7, 2023). "Chot mahihirapang pumili ng Final 12". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Bacnis, Justine (August 8, 2020). "What was the best team coached by Chot Reyes? It's not the 2013 Gilas team". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Marquez, CJ (November 7, 2017). "PBA: Alaska adds Altamirano, Ildefonso, Dela Cruz to coaching staff". cnn. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Saldajeno, Ivan (December 19, 2017). "New era ushers in for four teams in rare PBA twinbill in San Juan". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Li, Matthew (September 29, 2021). "Tony Dela Cruz bids Alaska farewell as he returns to US". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "3rd Annual SLAM Rising Stars Classic on ABS-CBN Sports and Action". March 9, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (March 18, 2017). "NCAA, UAAP juniors MVPs Troy Mallillin, Juan Gomez de Liano clash in Slam Rising Stars game". Spin.ph. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "10 Young Ballers Off to Manila to Represent Visayas at the Jr. NBA Philippines 2018 National Training Camp". PSR.ph. February 13, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Paref's Robins in Jr. NBA PHL Camp". SunStar Publishing Inc. April 3, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Quadra-Balibay, Angie (August 20, 2019). "Jr. NBA Asia-Pacific Boys team with 3 Pinoys make history, beats Team USA in Disney World". GoodNewsPilipinas.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (November 18, 2019). "TV5 to broadcast SEA Games basketball, esports events". pna.gov.ph. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Bracher, Jane (March 15, 2016). "Alaska Aces vet Tony Dela Cruz admits he's battled stress, depression". RAPPLER. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "JULIE PRIMERO-DE LA CRUZ VS ANTHONY DE LA CRUZ". UniCourt. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (August 2, 2023). "Filipinas to take a breather before training sights on Asian Games". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
External links
- Tony Dela Cruz at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
- Bernardo, Joseph (June 19, 2019). "Episode 87 – Filipino Americans in the PBA: TFAL Talks to Former PBA Star Tony De La Cruz". This Filipino American Life (Podcast).
- Jerusalem, Leila (July 15, 2021). "Ep. 13: Tony Dela Cruz: Filipino American Pro Basketball Player Turned Coach". Partially Pinoy (Podcast). Bridgr Media and Podcast Network Asia.