Pinoy Basketball Legend Tribute - Ed Ocampo

Ask any fan whom he thinks is the toughest guard in town any basketball player.
Ask Shin Dong-pa. The answer will invariably be the same: Ed Ocampo.
The Old Warrior, others call him. Not only because he's been around basketball courts since the 50's But also because Ed. who'll be 35 in October, is still slugging it out with younger players and showing them how good defensive basketball played. A real headache of a guard if there ever was one. Ed's recent performance for the YCO Painters in the justopened MICAA series underlines the fact that he's just about the fastest, most durable and dependable player on the hardcourt. And Coach Fely Fajardo easily picks him out as the guy with the most stamina. as  Guarding, says Tightguard Ed. is based on the principle that the opponent (by all means!) should be prevented from getting or keeping the ball. That Ed does pretty well shown by his come-from-behind steals that send him flying and crashing into the press box or whatever. His effective hardcourt kleptomania he attributes to good reflexes and strong legs which playing soccer and football developed for him at the Ateneo. But would you believe Asia's best guard is nearsighted? Ed's career in sports dates as far back as his high school days as a Blue Eaglet. Surprisingly he debuted as a football player At 17. Ed was named Mr. Football by the Philippine Sports Association. At 18 he toured Spain for two months with the Philippine soccer team and played his first Asian Cup Soccer Match. You see. football is Ed Ocampo's first love. As a matter of fact instead of basketball idols, Ed has football idols: Sir Stan ley Matthews, a British soccer player who was knighted, and Pele, the Brazilian football hero. But basketball is still very much his game. "It's fun," Ed grins. "It's good physically; it's a healthy sport." Truth is, Ed just can't seem to have enough basketball. After retiring in '68, being inactive for two years (and gaining an extra 30 lbs.) he began to long for the game again. There's no substitute for it," he admits. And so he rejoined the YCO Painters in "71.