Philippine Centennial Team


The 1998 Philippines men's national basketball team, nicknamed the "Philippine Centennial Team", competed in the 1998 Asian Games. The team consisted of professional players in the country that included national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being the only PBA players to represent the country in four Asian Games basketball tournaments since 1986. The team nickname was a reference to the centennial celebration of the independence of the Philippines.
The national team participated in the Philippine Basketball Association Centennial Cup and later played exhibition games against the China national basketball team and the PBA All-Star Selection. The Nationals went on to win the 21st William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament in Taiwan and then on a tough Midwest tour of the United States.
The national team’s main goal was to win the 1998 Asian Games basketball tournament and to reclaim Philippine basketball supremacy in Asia. The team started the tournament by winning four games in a row and finished with a 5-2 record losing to China and Korea, but they were able to capture the Bronze medal in the play-offs.
Overall, the national basketball achievements of 1998 include the William Jones Cup and the Asian Games bronze medal. This team was the third PBA-backed national team that followed the 1994 national team and the 1990 national team, and preceded the 2002 national team that finished fourth in the Asian Games.

Tournaments

1998 [Philippine Basketball Association] All-Star Games

1998 [William Jones Cup]

1998 [Asian Games]

DateOpponentsScoresW/LRound
December 8 Kazakhstan53-52 WElimination Round Group
December 9 Kyrgyzstan91-50 WElimination Round Group
December 14 United Arab Emirates93-57 WQuarterfinals Group B
December 15 Thailand86-60 WQuarterfinals Group B
December 16 South Korea83-103 LQuarterfinals Group B
December 18 China73-82 LSemi-Final
December 19 Kazakhstan73-68 WBronze medal game

No.PlayerPositionPBA TeamCollege
4Alvin Patrimonio6'3"PurefoodsMapúa
5Andy Seigle6'10"MobilineNew Orleans
6Jojo Lastimosa6'0"AlaskaAteneo de Manila, USJ-R
7Dennis Espino6'6"Sta. LuciaSanto Tomas
8Allan Caidic6'2"San MiguelUniversity of the East
9Jun Limpot6'6"Sta. LuciaDe La Salle
10Vergel Meneses6'3"Pop ColaJosé Rizal
11Edward Joseph Feihl7'0"PurefoodsAdamson
12Olsen Racela5'10"San MiguelAteneo de Manila
13Marlou Aquino6'9"GinebraAdamson
14Johnny Abarrientos5'7"AlaskaFar Eastern
15Kenneth Duremdes6'3"AlaskaAdamson