The 1997 Mobiline Phone Pals season was the eighth season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The team was known as Mobiline Cellulars for the All-Filipino Cup and Commissioner's Cup.
| 1997 Mobiline Cellulars season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Norman Black Tommy Manotoc (Governors' Cup) |
| General Manager | Debbie Tan |
| Owner(s) | Pilipino Telephone Corporation |
| All-Filipino Cup results | |
| Record | 9–13 (40.9%) |
| Place | 5th |
| Playoff finish | Semifinals |
| Commissioner's Cup results | |
| Record | 4–6 (40%) |
| Place | 6th |
| Playoff finish | N/A |
| Governors' Cup results | |
| Record | 7–8 (46.7%) |
| Place | 5th |
| Playoff finish | Quarterfinals (lost to Purefoods in one game) |
| Mobiline Cellulars seasons | |
Draft picks
edit| Round | Pick | Player | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Andrew John Seigle | University of New Orleans |
| 2 | 9 | Antonio Espinosa, Jr | La Salle |
Notable date
editFebruary 23: Rookie Patrick Fran saved the day for the Cellulars in the 84–78 victory over Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys which clawed back from a 20-point deficit to come close to within three with still 71 seconds remaining. Mobiline scored their first win of the season after losing to defending champion Alaska Milkmen on opening day a week ago.[1]
Occurrences
editFormer San Miguel coach Norman Black became the new head coach of Mobiline Cellulars, replacing Yeng Guiao at the start of the season.[2] Tonichi Yturri and Matthew Gaston was hired as assistants.[3]
Coach Black steered the team to a semifinal stint in the All-Filipino Cup after two years of being a doormat. After the Cellulars got eliminated in the Commissioner's Cup, Mobiline top honcho Choy Cojuangco and RFM chairman Joey Concepcion agreed on a player-coach trade during the first week of August. Norman Black coached his third team in 13 years with Pop Cola while Bottlers' team consultant Derrick Pumaren moved to the Cellulars.
Mobiline also acquired Ato Agustin from Pop Cola in exchange for Elpidio Villamin and Peter Martin. Starting the Governor's Cup, former Grand Slam coach Tommy Manotoc has taken Norman Black's place at the Mobiline bench with Derrick Pumaren as his co-mentor.[4]
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Transactions
editAdditions
edit| Name | Deal Information | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell Briones | Pick by Purefoods in the Rookie draft and dealt to the Cellulars the following day | N/A |
| Patrick Fran | Rookie Free Agent | N/A |
| Franz Pumaren | Acquired from San Miguel | San Miguel Beermen |
| Eric Reyes | Acquired from Sunkist late last year in a trade with Eugene Quilban | Sunkist |
| Alvin Teng | Acquired from Sunkist late last year in a trade with Jack Tanuan |
Trades
edit| Off-season | To Purefoods
Cadel Mosqueda |
To Mobiline
Glenn Capacio |
| Off-season | To Alaska
Dwight Lago |
To Mobiline
Jeffrey Cariaso |
Subtractions
edit| Player | Signed | New team |
| Yoyoy Villamin | September 1997 | Pop Cola |
| Peter Martin | September 1997 | Pop Cola |
Recruited imports
edit| Tournament | Name | Number | Position | University/College | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Cup | Isaiah Morris | 35 | Forward | University of Arkansas | June 15 to July 22 |
| Governors' Cup | Artemus McClary | 25 | Guard/forward | Jacksonville University | September 23 to November 18 |
References
edit- ^ "Rookie lifts Mobiline past Purefoods". Manila Bulletin Online.
- ^ "Seigle-led Mobiline completes lineup". Manila Bulletin Online.
- ^ "Gaston named PSC commissioner – Daily Tribune". 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Manotoc named Mobiline head coach". Manila Standard.