Birthday Greetings to Romeo Ang ( Dec 20 )

The 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Association yearbook made special mention of Romeo Ang as a vital cog of the Letran Knights. Fact is, Romeo Ang was only a sophomore in the Letran quintet then. Nevertheless, NCAA fans were already aware of the promise he held. At 6'2" and blessed with a rugged 175 pound frame, Ang towered over the rest as he played all three positions with equal effectivity during his rookie year. Thus, all eyes were on Ang during the 1982 NCAA caging season. Ang almost made it as Most Valuable Player in 1982 as he dished out consistent ball throughout, However, it was teammate, Jerry Gonzales who stole the limelight as he won MVP honors. Gonzales won by a 3-2 vote. Although Ang played brilliant basketball, it was Gonzales who got the nod of the judges because he was responsible for two crucial Letran victories enroute to SJLC's climb to the 1982 NCAA cage throne. Nevertheless, Ang finally made it as Most Valuable Player last year as Letran successfully defended its title and in the process notched its first-back-to-back crowns ever. This award, along with his many other hardcourt exploits in the past, virtually made Romeo Ang a shoo-in for the RP Youth squad out to defend its title in Seoul in the forthcoming Eighth Asian Youth Basketball Championships slated from April 7 to 21. Romy, as he is fondly called, was born in Maniki, Kapalong, Davao del Norte to parents Ang Kian Kee, Sr. and Hermetiza Aboyme. He is sixth of ten kids which include Elson, Junior, Rizalito, Natalia, Alma, Benito, Roberto, Wilfreda, and Leolando. 

He started dribbling at the Maryknoll High of Kapalong where he showed flashes of cage brilliance in intramurals. But it wasn't until he reached fourth year high that he decided to take basketball seriously. "I am thankful to my barkadas who prodded me to try out for the junior squad. I used to play with the three sons of Mayor Porfirio Royo, Mechong, Nono, and Boy. Panay ang kantiyaw nila sa akin. I was only 5'8" then, Bigla nga ang pagtangkad ko. It was really Loloy Duetes who convinced me to try out for the junior team of University of Mindanao Tagum branch. And I made it to the team. I was already fourth year high school."
Romy only played for a year with the UM junior quintet under coach Pedro Obero. That was in 1979. One of his teammates then was Rey Perez who eventually left for Manila to join the MIT Cardinals that same year. After a year, Rey joined Yco in the MICAA. Eventually, the sweetshooting Perez made it to the national team in 1982 New Delhi games. After high school, Romy played in a class B Senior league in Davao. He was recruited by coach Mat Cubero of the J.Q. Enterprises. After a brief stint in the commercial league, he played for the senior quintet of the University of Mindanao main in Davao City. His stint with the UM seniors again only lasted for a year. He was coached by Arthur Sumalinog. Sumalinog was mentor of the Davao Allstars squad which saw action in the PABL Founders' Cup last year. While playing for UM during the 1980 national intercollegiate in Baguio, he was spotted by Nemie Villegas. Villegas, along with Pol Pujante (father of cagers Tonichi and Leo Angelo) convinced him to play for Letran. Romy agreed. While serving a year's residency at Letran, Romy played for Pop Cola in the FICFAA. In 1981, he donned the redand-blue jersey of the Letran Knights. Letran placed third behind Mapua Institute of Technology and San Beda College. . In 1982, Letran won the NCAA title. In the same year, Ang, together with seven other Letranites comprised the nucleus of the RP team that competed in the 2nd ASEAN Schools basketball championship held in Manila in December. Ang was skipper of the team which successfully won the crown. The squad was coached by Larry Albano.

In 1983, Romy Ang made it as alternate of the RP squad that successfully retained the crown in the 12th SEA Games held in Singapore in May. In mid-'83, Ang finally won the coveted NCAA MVP trophy. "Masaya ako dahil ito talaga ang gusto ko. Kahit papaano, I've become part of NCAA history." When Letran took part in an invitational tournament in Guam, Romy Ang, together with fellow Letranite Samboy Lim, was included in the Mythical five selection. Letran placed second to Guam in a tough field of participants that included quintets from Korea and Japan. Samboy Lim was adjudged Most Valuable Player of the series.