In the history of Philippine basketball, Alvin Patrimonio is one of the most successful players with a career that spans the amateur, national team, and the PBA. Alvin Vergara Patrimonio is a retired Filipino basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and fans affectionally called ‘the Captain’.
He was born on November 17, 1966, in Quezon City. Alvin Patrimonio height stands 6 feet and 3 inches. Among his team affiliations in the PBA includes RFM-Swift Hotdogs and Purefoods. Alvin Patrimonio’s Number 16 is one of the most famous professional jerseys, and holds the position of power forward in PBA leagues and center position during his amateur career. He has proven to be a PBA legend with all his accomplishments as a basketball player and coach.
Amateur Career
Patrimonio’s passion for the game started at an early age. His amateur career in professional basketball started during his college days when he transferred to the Mapua Institute of Technology. While pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering, he found the opportunity to play basketball. He played as team center for the Mapua Cardinals in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1983 to 1986. During this time, he received consecutive Valuable Player awards in 1985 and 1986. However, his school team did not make it to the championship.
Soon, he played for the YCO Shine Masters in the Philippine Basketball League, popularly known as PBA D-League. When the Elizalde ball club was disbanded, The Captain player moved to RFM-Swift Hotdogs. After having two conference stints with the RFM-Swift Hotdogs, Patrimonio finally won a title. Patrimonio officially entered the PBA in the middle of the 1988 season.
National Team Career
Alvin Patrimonio’s playing career continued with the Philippine National team. He played in the Asian Games together with another legend Allan Caidic. Patrimonio was part of the national team that won the Asian Games medal in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. In 1986, Patrimonio also became part of the all-amateur Philippine National Team in the Asian Games headed by coach Joe Lipa. The national team won the bronze medal after defeating Jordan with an 83-81 score.
In 1990, he played with other PBA players headed by coach Robert Jaworski in the Asian Games. This is the first competition participated in by the PBA players, wherein they won the silver medal. In the finals, the national team lost the gold medal to China by 90-74.
In the 1994 Asian Games, Patrimonio also participated together with the San Miguel Beer team. They represented the Philippines in the Men’s Basketball tournament headed by coach Norman Black. They lost the bronze medal game against Japan, scoring 79-76. In 1994, the Philippine Centennial Team, coached by Tim Cone, played in the Asian Games and won the bronze medal defeating Kazakhstan. The team also defeated Chinese Taipei in the William Jones Cup championship game in 1998. Patrimonio was included in the all-PBA All-Stars Select Team. The group represented the Philippines during the FIBA Asia All-Star Extravaganza.
PBA Career and Coaching
As a professional basketball player, Alvin Patrimonio is one of the 25 PBA Greatest Players. He became part of the PBA in 1988 alongside other famous players such as Jojo Lastimosa, Jerry Codiñera, and Glenn Capacio. Unfortunately, during this time, a dispute between two franchise teams that drafted Patrimonio caused the delay in his entrance to the PBA. With this, he lost the chance of getting the Rookie of the Year award.
Patrimonio plays power forward in the PBA. His basketball moves are rough physical play through finesse maneuvers. The playing style of Alvin Patrimonio is comparable to Karl Malone. Patrimonio is known for his spin move to the low post and exceptional pivoting skills. He is known for his dominance in the post which led to the advancement of his PBA career. In addition, he showed superior abilities by surpassing multiple defenders during gameplay. Throughout his basketball career, he became an excellent three-point shooter. Eventually, he covered the small forward position during the latter part of his professional playing days.
In 1991, Alvin Patrimonio became part of the PBA Pepsi Hotshots thanks to a five-year contract. During his career with Pepsi Hotshots, Patrimonio had the chance to have a match with his mother ballclub Purefoods TJ Hotdogs. Starting in 1991 up to 1994, he won three Most Valuable Player awards.
As a player, he received several awards during his PBA career. He was also included in the PBA Mythical First Team from 1989 to 1994, 1996 to 1998, and 2000. He also received the fourth MVP award in 1997 at the end of his contract with Pepsi Hotshots. In 2016, Patrimonio became a coach with the NU Bulldogs men’s basketball team. As a basketball coach, he was also inducted as a PBA Hall of Fame awardee in 2011. But, undeniably, Patrimonio is one of the best power forward players in PBA history.
