Adducul's wave

THERE'S this sliding door of "what if" when it comes to MBA Star Rommel Adducul. What if "the best big man outside the PBA" joined the 1998 Rookie Draft rather than opt for a fledgling league? He could be living his dream now and give Danny Ildefonso a run for his money. But one more year of toiling in the minors would pave a way for a long-standing fancy to come true. Just one more year...

Like Ildefonso, Adducul wasn't a manor born. The youngest of nine children, the MBA star grew up into 6-6 behemoth but steeped in poverty in his hometown of Tuguegarao, Cagayan. Sans the life of comfort and privilege, the future superstar even learned the rudiments of his favorite sport through an improvised basketball made of rattan, a far-cry from the Wilsons and Mikasas of the elite.

	Rommel Adducul

When he was about to enter colege, he went to Manila and lived with his cousin who was a member of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) at the PSG compound in Malacanang. Knowing that the road to success isn't without hardships and sacrifices, Adducul even mopped floors at the PSG Gym. To fulfill his destiny, the dusky young man tried out for collegiate varsity teams in the capital and fortunately notched a spot with the San Sebastian Stags. That was the beginning of his celebrity.

During the Stags winning years in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Adducul was the central figure of both offense and defense and his majestic talents were not lost to the fans nor to the sports pundits. He would have been a huge asset to the country's most established pro league, the PBA. But Adducul took a detour. Financially-backed by media giant ABS-CBN, the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) opened in 1998 with great hype - pompom bearing showbiz babes and frivolous production numbers. The players were a motley crue of personalities from Fil-Ams to has beens but the Stag center was certainly its biggest star.

Adducul gave his team the Manila Metrostars a couple of championships and won for himself an MVP citation plus getting entangled with former teen star and now the hottest sexy star Assunta De Rossi. Through all the accolades, the young fellow had never forgotten his roots. He built a multiple-storey house for his family in Tuguegarao and shouldered the responsibilities of a dutiful son and brother.

In 2001, the Metrostars merged with the LBC Batangas Blades and together with his tandem Alex Compton and other teammates, the club pulled out all stops to nab a national crown for the Araneta-owned franchise. But the joy was short-lived as Adducul was denied release by the Blades to finally enter the Annual PBA Rookie Draft and join the national training pool for the Asian Games. With a year remaining in his contract, Adducul indicated his desire to transfer to another team. But the bait was, the Cagayan native was too expensive for any team as the MBA's highest paid player. After a series of consultations, Adducul will suit up with the comebacking and revitalized Pangasinan Waves in the 2002 season with fellow star Chris Clay under Coach Lawrence Chongson.

Now a full-pledged pastor and a part-time college student, Adducul is just waiting for 2003 to finally do what he should have done in 1998, submit his papers for the PBA Rookie Draft. The change of scenery will only take a dip in his monthly income, from 500 grand to a maximum PBA rookie's salary, but not his stature and the glamour of being one of the Philippines most talented basketball players. *

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