Happy Birthday, Brixter “Brix” Encarnacion ( Oct 12 )

Happy Birthday, Brixter “Brix” Encarnacion

1998 PBA Rookie Draft 4th overall pick 
3-season PBA veteran 
2-PBA team player
5x NCAA champion

Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)

BRIXTER ENCARNACION
BORN OCT. 12, 1973/ CAVITE CITY/193 CMS., 75 KGS./
FORWARD
BRIXTER had an up-and-down 1999 season with Pop Cola. On some days, the sophomore looked like a worthy successor to Vergel Meneses. In other days, he raised questions on whether he can ever live up to his potential. At the end of the year, it was a helter-skelter ride for the former San Sebastian Stag, who was sent by Pop Cola to Alaska as part of the Jojo Lastimosa trade and, later, shipped by the Milk Kings to Shell for Bryan Gahol. he had a seemingly inert structure that didn't seem to be suitable for the severely physical world of basketball. "He had a very light frame, kaya hindi muna namin siya ipinasok noon," related coach Bay Cristobal, who was at that time Valenzona's assistant coach. His first varsity exposure popped in after graduating from high school. He took up a one-year course at the Technological University of the Philippines and decided to try out in the school's basketball team, and because of his relatively tall elevation (6'4"), he ably made it to the team. His breaks with the Stags came during his sophomore year, the season that marked the depature of Santos, Morante, and Valera. His playing time soared dramatically and boosted the opportunity to polish his skills and heighten his confidence. It was about this time that he showed an improvement in his physical stature. Brixter then devoted his succeeding years towards enhancing his outside game while infallibly aiding his team in garnering one title after another until they finally acquired their monumental fifth straight NCAA crown. "I'm happy that we won our fifth championship. At least I'll get to leave this institution with a lot of good memories," said this amiable native of Cavite. Although teammates Rommel Adducul and Ulysses Tanigue always get most of the credit for their squad's inprecedented success, Brixter also deserves due recognition for his vital contributions to the team's epochal achievements. "Brixter's contribution is often overlooked because this guy works silently. If you're in the opponent's shoes, he quite some time while I haven't even won a single championship in my four years with this team. After that, I could start looking forward to a stint with the PBA, quipped Encarnacion on life after the NCAA. The versatile forward has also been toying with the prospect of playing for the prodigious San Miguel franchise because he believes that SMB is the richest amongst the teams partaking in the lucrative professional league. "Initially, you would not care much about which team picks you up for as long as you make it there. But given the freedom to decide, I'd opt for San Miguel," he said. Though not clearly apt to soaring high for dunks and monstrous jams, he idolizes a player popularly known for his acrobatic maneuvers in the air and a person known to many as the Aerial VoyagerVergel Meneses.