Birthday Greetings to Lordy Tugade ( Dec 30 )

LORDY TUGADE
Born Dec. 30, 1977
Alaminos, Pangasinan
6-3
Forward

IT took a while, but when the talent Red Bull saw in this Pangasinense since his PBL days finally blossomed, it made the wait all worth it. The 2002 season saw Tugade emerge as one of the players to watch at his position, a 6-3 forward who could drain the jumper from beyond the three-point arc, take the ball to the basket and hold his own on defense, even against imports. Better yet, we may just be seeing the tip of Lordy's enormous talent. THE shy, soft-spoken native of Pangasinan continued to blossom in his fourth season with Red Bull, finally harnessing his immense talent to become a major player in coach Yeng Guiao's rotation. The high-leaping former NU standout is a fearless gunner with a limitless range and evolved into a rugged defender under Guiao. No wonder the minutes and the starts multiplied as the season progressed. With more confidence and seasoning, stardom could be just around the corner. 

The season saw the timid forward from Pangasinan finally assume the role of being Red Bull's primary go-to guy and he showed he was up to the task. Not only did the wiry 6- foot-3 wingman post career bests in scoring (12.7), rebounding (4.6) and playing minutes (26.2), he also managed to keep the team afloat at a time it was undergoing its most trying season following the citizenship controversy that hounded two of its major players. The Barakos' failure to win a title during the campaign did not dampen the excellent season the ex-National U stalwart experienced.