Happy Birthday, Ruben Pablo ( Sept 29 )

Happy Birthday, Ruben Pablo

PBA pioneer
PSBA Jaguars guard
3-season PBA player
CFC / Great Taste Discoverers guard

Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)

Ruben Pablo might not be the sweet-shooter that some forwards are, but in his own right as a guard, he's just as valuable, as precious, as important as the other hoopsters in his team or in any other. His competence as a sentinel has already been proven. Watch him tail Adornado when he guards the 'star; he flails his arms trying to harrass the hotshooting Crispan; of course now and then he gets a foul doubtless due to his tight guarding, but Pablo, doesn't mind. He is cool; rarely does he complain. If he does, however, he feels honestly, and very, very sincerely that the one who called a foul probably didn't see what transpired earlier. High-leaping, alertly followingup misses (he is keen on this phase, showing his good positioning oftener than not); he'd sink. in for a couple of points. He would intercept a baseball pass from the opposite quintet; then he'd slow down a bit, looking for a receiver, and then pass to a teammate, A turn-around shooter sometimes, he is capable of jumping high, fighting capably near the basket when there's a scramble for the ball (often, he could easily best the other players), and then try to complete the play by either passing to an open man or shooting himself. There is a characteristic alertness in Ruben Pablo's attitude and the fellow has been at it since he joined the play-for-pay league or even before in the MICAA amateur clashes. His first major coaching job was with the Zest-O Team in the last FICFAA tournament. "Benjie" was successful in handling the team as he led Zest-O to the championship in their very first tournament, dethroning defending champion Talon Zipper in the process. Zest-O's management then plans to joined the bigger tournaments like the Interclub. A couple of weeks after the Championship, however, Benjie learned that the Zest-O team was already practising under a newly-appointed coach. Zest-O's management never even bothered to advise him of their decision. Not that Benjie would have insisted on staying, but for the sake of courtesy man lang, which is taught even in the Grade School level of education, Benjie should have been formally notified. So now, Benjie still does not know whether to laugh or get mad at this big joke.