Birthday Greetings to Richard Dela Pena ( sEPT 8 )

Richard de la Peña is far from outstanding. In fact, he had bee n on the scene for so long when he inked a two-year contract with Royal Tru-Orange in the PBA this season, very few were surprised. De la Peña's debut in the pesoleague is long overdue. But for the overly-dusky Royal newcomer, it's been the worn-out cliche "better late than never." Completely overshadowed by fresh rookies in the team, de la Peña was relegated to the background in TRO's first few outings, and it was only recently that his dependability on the clutch came to the fore.  "He is a dependable cog. He can be a reliever of note because he is. a well-rounded basketeer. He can shoot from outside, he can assist, rebound and be an effective teamman," observed somebody from the TRO camp. De la Peña's shooting forte is the angle jump where the ball hits the board first before getting into the goal. "Banda kung tumira. At mayfake," stated a fan. 6-1 De la Peña would have been a cagestar by now had it not been because of a knee injury which caused him some years of hardcourt inactivity. Atoy Co  He would have been an Atoy Co or a Freddie Hubalde. They were his contemporaries at Mapua. Along with the two in the NCAA, he was a star Cardinal. Two years of donning the San Miguel jersey in the MICAA had done him some good. For one, he was able to put back his injured knee in good standing. And secondly, he was given the exposure which was rather often denied of comebacking basketeers. De la Peña's slow assent back. was coupled by hits and misses. But mostly hits, thanks! Along with seven other rookies in the squad, de la Peña has joined the fray in fighting for a place in the PBA arena. And like the fiery gladiator in early wars, he, too, has brought in his shield.