Happy Birthday, Mike Orquillas ( Nov 12 )
Aris Garcia
Happy Birthday, Mike Orquillas
1995 PBA Rookie Draft 12th overall pick
University of Cebu Webmasters sniper
2x PBA champion
6-season PBA veteran
2-PBA team player
Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)
The 6-1 1/2 Orquillas gained notice as a high-scoring forward during his PBL days with Magnolia and Oriental Battery and many amateur cage followers were comparing him to Allan Caidic because of his southpaw stance in taking their outside shots. Aside from this, Orquillas was the leading scorer of the RP Men's Cage team that won the gold medal in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, outshining his more celebrated teammates Marlou Aquino and Bal David who went on to become his teammates at Gordon's. "Malaki ang utang na loob ko kay coach Francis (Rodriguez) dahil siya ang nakadiskubre sa akin noong naglalaro ako sa Cebu," Orquillas recalled. "Ipinadala niya ako sa Maynila at naglaro ako sa RP Youth team na kung saan siya ang coach. At pumasok ako sa varsity team ng San Sebastian pero hindi ako nagtagal. Naglaro din ako sa Magnolia for a year na kung saan si coach Francis din ang naghandle sa akin." Orquillas was first drafted by Purefoods in 1995 at about the same time Dennis Espino and Kenneth Duremdes his former 1992 RP Youth teammates also turned pro. But due to lack of space in the Hotdogs lineup, he decided to stick around for one more year in the amateur ranks before Gordon's signed him as a rookie free agent in 1996. "Nadiskubre ako ni (assistant coach) Rino (Salazar) sa mga PBL games at sa mga tune-up games ko noong nasa national team ako," Orquillas recalled. "Pagkatapos, nairekomenda ako kay coach Sonny (Jaworski) at impressed siya sa naipakita ko sa mga tryouts kaya pumirma na ako ng kontrata sa Ginebra. Masaya ako at napunta ako sa Ginebra dahil alam ko na very popular ang team na ito at maraming mga fans ang sumusuporta sa mga players." Unfortunately, Orquillas' rookie year with Gordon's wasn't too productive. "Natapilok ako nang natapakan ko ang paa ni EJ (Feihl) sa isang rebound play kaya nagkaroon ako ng ankle sprain," he said. "Inilagay ako sa injured list for one year kaya halos nasa bench ako. Naiingit nga ako kina Marlou at Bal dahil superstar na sila sa PBA habang bangko pa ako dito. Pero at least, happy na ako at included ako sa regular lineup ng Gordon's at malaki ang aking pasasalamat kay coach Sonny sa mga breaks na binibigay niya sa akin. Naniniwala ako na sa basketball, hindi ka palaging nasa taas ka kaya sipag at tiyaga ang kailangan para magtagal ka dito sa larong ito." bench ako. Naiingit nga ako kina Marlou at Bal dahil superstar na sila sa PBA habang bangko pa ako dito. Pero at least, happy na ako at included ako sa regular lineup ng Gordon's at malaki ang aking pasasalamat kay coach Sonny sa mga breaks na binibigay niya sa akin. Naniniwala ako na sa basketball, hindi ka palaging nasa taas ka kaya sipag at tiyaga ang kailangan para magtagal ka dito sa larong ito." Presently, Orquillas acts as a thirdstring forward next to Jayvee Gayoso and Vince Hizon in the Gordon's rotation. He only gets to play whenever either Gayoso or Hizon gets into a bad game. And he got his chance in Game Six of the All-Filipino Cup finals against Purefoods last May where he scored 15 points in a losing effort.
