THE PBA lost another of its early batch of players following the death of basketball great and former Mariwasa guard Alfonso 'Boy' Marquez.
The two-time Olympian passed away last April 15 at the age of 82.
Marquez was already past his prime when he suited up for the Porcelain Makers in 1976 and played for just two seasons, seeing action in just 19 games and averaged 3.0 points.
He worked for Meralco upon his retirement, rejoining the same company where he played for during his days in the defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). He was part of the Reddy Kilowatts team that won the 1971 Open championship where he had for his teammates PBA pioneers Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz, Jimmy Mariano, Lawrence Mumar, Alberto 'Big Boy' Reynoso, among others.
Marquez retired as Meralco branch and business head at the central areas of Espana, and later in Kamuning, during the 90s.
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The PBA came a bit late for Marquez, a sweet-shooting guard from Zamboanga who played college ball for University of Visayas.
But there was no doubt at the peak of his playing career, Marquez was one of the best in the country who played in the 1960 and 1968 Olympics in Rome and Mexico, respectively.
His initial foray with the national team came in 1959 when the late legendary coach Virgilio 'Baby' Dalupan tapped him to play in the World Basketball Championship (now FIBA World Cup) held in Chile.
In 1960, Marquez was with the Philippine men's squad that won the inaugural staging of the FIBA-Asia Cup (formerly FIBA-Asia Men's Championship) held in Manila, and two years after, helped the country win the gold in the Asian Games held in Thailand, marking the last time the Filipinos won the championship in the quadrennial meet.
The 6-foot-1 Marquez later took his act in the MICAA and saw action for the Ysmael Steel Admirals with who he won a total of six championships.
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Following the disbandment of Ysmael, he played for Mariwasa and Meralco.
Twenty five years following his retirement, Marquez was inducted in the Philippine Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2002 class.(RG)
