THROUGHOUT the history of the Ginebra franchise, there were several unheralded players who became endeared to the fans even when they were playing minimal roles for the team.
Ed Ducut was a popular figure, a player who comes off the bench, and would draw cheers from the crowd whenever his number is called by the Living Legend Robert Jaworski, then head coach of Barangay Ginebra, at the height of the team's campaign from mid-1980s to early 1990s.
There's Romulo Mamaril, who started his career at Crispa, but blossomed when he became the starting center of the old Ginebra squad in the late 1980s. Both Ducut and Mamaril won multiple titles with Ginebra.
And then there's Raymond Aguilar, loved and cherished by the fans, whether he sees action or not.
The player has become a part of all seven championships won by Ginebra since Tim Cone took over as head coach and although his role appeared to be minimal during actual games, Aguilar has become more valuable for the squad during the team's training sessions.
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"I think he comes out and play in a Ginebra style," Cone told PBA.ph. "He is really physical and not afraid to bang and I think Ginebra fans certainly enjoyed that. He brings back memories of Wilmer Ong, guys like that."
"That's part of it. He's now 37, 38 years old and he is still around because he brings it everyday. We appreciate the effort. We normally don't see it on the court, but he does that when given the opportunity. But I tell you, in practice, no one wants to play against him because he is so strong and so physical."
Aguilar's strength comes naturally as he also works as a fireman in his hometown Marikina, which also shows the great character of this veteran forward whenever he does community service.
"He's a great person. He's a fireman in Marikina. He's in a fire brigade, so he goes out and helps people all the time. He's truly a great guy," added Cone. (RJ)
