1998 Mobiline Phone Pals season
| 1998 Mobiline Phone Pals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tommy Manotoc Eric Altamirano |
| Owner(s) | Pilipino Telephone Corporation |
| All-Filipino Cup results | |
| Record | 4–7 (36.4%) |
| Place | 7th |
| Playoff finish | Eliminated |
| Commissioner's Cup results | |
| Record | 5–7 (41.7%) |
| Place | 6th |
| Playoff finish | Quarterfinals (lost to San Miguel in one game) |
| Governors' Cup results | |
| Record | 16–13 (55.2%) |
| Place | 2nd |
| Playoff finish | Runner-Up (lost to Formula Shell 3-4) |
| Mobiline Phone Pals seasons | |
The 1998 Mobiline Phone Pals season was the ninth season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 11 | Braulio Lim |  Philippines
|
UE |
| 3 | Tyrone Bautista | Philippines
|
La Salle |
Occurrences
Mobiline coach Tommy Manotoc has hired three-time MVP William Adornado as one of his assistant coaches at the start of the season.
Beginning the Commissioner's Cup on May 22, former Purefoods coach Eric Altamirano signed a four-year contract to coach the Mobiline Phone Pals. Altamirano's contract with Purefoods expired last March 31.
Notable dates
February 8: Andy Seigle nailed a baseline jumper in the final 25 seconds and made a crucial steal afterwards as Mobiline redeemed itself from their first game blowout loss to Gordon's Gin by nipping defending champion Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies, 67-64.[1]
March 8: Al Solis shot seven triples, one short of his own personal record to finish with a game-high 27 points as Mobiline keeps its hopes alive for a semifinals berth in the All-Filipino Cup with an 89-77 win over San Miguel Beermen and give the Phone Pals its fourth win in 10 games. Prior to the game, the Phone Pals have lost their last four assignments.[2]
May 29: After losing their first two games in the Commissioners Cup with Alex Fraser as their import, Fraser was replaced by their original choice Terquin Mott, who debut with 50 points in giving the Phone Pals their first win in a 94-90 victory over Shell.
Centennial Cup title
Mobiline finally captured a PBA title in a "bonus" tournament called Centennial Cup, the Phone Pals defeated Formula Shell, 67-66, in the one-game finale.
Runner-up finish
The perfect combination of imports Silas Mills and Artemus McClary led Mobiline to the Governor's Cup finals in a rematch with Formula Shell. The Phone Pals played without national team members Jeffrey Cariaso and Andy Seigle for the whole conference, they lost in the championship series that went into a full limit of seven games.
Awards
- Silas Mills was named Governors Cup Best Import.
- Patrick Fran was voted the season's Most Improved Player.
Roster
| Mobiline Phone Pals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Transactions
Trades
| Off-season | To Sta. Lucia Realtors Richard del Rosario |
To Mobiline Phone Pals Gabby Cui |
| July 1998 |
To Sta. Lucia Realtors Lowell Briones |
To Mobiline Phone Pals Jose Francisco |
Addition
| Player | Signed | Former team |
| Merwin Castelo | Off-season | Alaska Milkmen |
Subtractions
| Player | Signed | New team |
| Franz Pumaren | Off-season | Retired |
| Ato Agustin | Off-season | Pampanga Dragons (MBA) |
| Braulio Lim | May 1998 | Alaska Milkmen |
Recruited imports
| Tournament | Name | Number | Position | University/College | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Cup | Alex Fraser | 20 | Center-Forward | University of Miami | May 23-26 |
| Terquin Mott | 32 | Center-Forward | Coppin State | May 29 to July 17 | |
| Governors' Cup | Silas Mills | 1 | Forward | Utah State | August 30 to December 9 |
| Artemus McClary | 25 | Guard-Forward | Jacksonville | August 30 to December 9 |
References
- ^ "Seigle delivers winning basket as Mobiline thwarts Purefoods". Manila Standard.
- ^ "Mobiline's Solis rises to the occasion". Manila Standard.