Arnie, Yoyoy families now extra proud
Rich Tuadles and Earl Villamin were too young to recall how great their fathers were when they starred in the PBA decades ago.
Now grown-ups, the sons of the late Arnie Tuadles and Yoyoy Villamin are taking pride in their accomplishments, especially after their long-overdue entries into the class of PBA greats.
“I was really too young to remember those days. But when you to see his great games on YouTube, it kinda jolts in my memories,” the younger Tuadles said following the league’s 50th anniversary celebration at Solaire North in Quezon City.
He was joined by his uncle Calvin, who also played in the PBA and even teamed up with Arnie at Shell in 1990, when they received the award commemorating the accomplishments of the man who immediately gained the adulation of fans when he first started for Toyota in 1979.
Villamin, meanwhile, finally got in as well after an almost two-decade career that started with Toyota’s bitter rival Crispa, before playing for multiple teams. Earl, joined by his mother, savored the occasion by bringing a replica of his father’s 1987 Hills Bro Coffee jersey and had other 50 Greatest members sign it, from one of Villamin’s toughest foes, Alvin Patrimonio, to current star Scottie Thompson.
“This jersey will be framed as a remembrance of his legacy,” said Earl.
Both Tuadles and Villamin were among the celebrated inclusions to the PBA’s Greatest list after being denied in the 25th and, most notably, 40th editions.
Tuadles immediately rose into a star when he was named the 1979 Rookie of the Year and made the Mythical Five following an impressive All-Filipino showing. He continued to make an impact following Toyota’s disbandment in 1983, playing for Ginebra, Alaska, Great Taste, Shell and once again for Great Taste as Presto Tivoli in 1990 when his 34 points in Game 7, despite the absence of an injured Allan Caidic secured the All-Filipino title over Purefoods.
Tuadles died in 1996, but his basketball legacy has been retold for years, especially with the advent of social media. He was one of the biggest names left out in the 40 Greatest in 2015, and there was plenty of clamor for his eventual inclusion to this year’s list when the selection committee began the screening process.
“It doesn’t really make a lot of difference for us, really,” Tuadles said of the previous snubs. “It’s been our prayer since the first 25. But we kept praying, we kept hoping. But now, it’s answered prayer for our family.”
Villamin, meanwhile, remains in the United States and couldn’t attend the gathering that recognizes his feats.
After being a member of Crispa’s second Grand Slam in 1983, Villamin emerged as an elite big man later in the decade, and many felt he was denied of the 1987 MVP when he lost to San Miguel Beer’s Abet Guidaben.
