Happy Birthday, Macario Torres Jr ( Oct 30 )

MACARIO TORRES, JR. Born October 30, 1965 Caloocan City
196 cms., 86.2 kgs. Center

One of two rookies on the Alaska roster. Was picked up by coach Tim Cone due to lack of other big men during the second round of the drafting session. A former Far Eastern University trackster, Macky was described as "a long-term project" by Cone who even added his protege could well be the next Benjie Paras. But his rookie season doesn't speak well for Torres. He played in seven games, the least among the Air Force and averaged 1.1 points and 1.0 rebound per outing. He was sidelined by a knee injury in the all-Filipino Conference thus leaving his promise unfulfilled. The PBA may have seen the last of Macky Torres who only played one game for the Airmen last season after recovering from a knee injury. When Bong Alvarez rejoined Alaska in the Third Conference, coach Tim Cone opted to extend the contract of Eton Navarro and drop Torres in the process. In 1990, Cone had said that Torres was a long-term project. During his rookie year, he was good for 1.1 points in seven games. Torres was once a track and field athlete for Far Eastern University. But his supposed speed was nowhere in sight in the PBA. He'll still be good material for some amateur teams, though.