After notching back-to-back titles and nearly annexed a grandslam in the 1995 PBA season, Sunkist or Pop Cola would suddenly flop and missed the semifinals for sixth straight conferences from 1996-1997 and 10 of the last 12. In the last four years of the decade, would you believe a total of 17 players were entered into trade deals in the ongoing season by the RFM ballclub to the other teams.
The powerhouse cast was still intact at the start of the year 1996, they lost Yoyoy Villamin and Al Solis to Pepsi, but the team found a suitable replacement for Bicolano Superman in another veteran Alvin Teng and Rudy Distrito was back from a one-year suspension. Sunkist wasn’t expected to fell apart in the 1996 All-Filipino Conference, the blame was every game by the Bottlers was a contest between Nelson Asaytono and Vergel Meneses. The Orange Bottlers were already out of contention by the time they dealt Asaytono to San Miguel in exchange for Ato Agustin and Mar Morelos. In late-December, Sunkist traded Alvin Teng and Eric Reyes to Mobiline for Jack Tanuan and Eugene Quilban.
Sunkist was renamed Pop Cola in the 23rd PBA season. At the start of the year, one can reckon this team is oozing with hardcourt talent. It turns out the misfortunes will continue for the beleaguered squad and they would let go of two superstars – one-time MVP Ato Agustin and third year pro Kenneth Duremdes, before the year ends.
The following year, the Bottlers have gone through coaching changes starting the 1997 Commissioner’s Cup, coach Derick Pumaren was relegated to the role of consultant when reports of friction between him and some key players have come out. Newly-designated coach Arturo Valenzona finds himself right back to PBA coaching after being away for close to a decade. Valenzona’s appointment was supposed to turn things around but when it didn’t work out, Pumaren was traded to Mobiline for Norman Black, who assumed the coaching chores while Valenzona moved to being a consultant. Aside from that, Mobiline acquired Renato Agustin and gave up Villamin and sophomore Peter Martin in the process.
A surprise Norman Black never expected that in just about a year, he would handled two different ballclubs, Mobiline and Pop Cola. Here with Yoyoy Villamin, who is returning to the RFM franchise.
Pop Cola was frantically groping for solutions to all its woes when it appears they’re headed towards the same direction of not making it beyond the elimination round in the Governor’s Cup, they parted ways with flashy swingman Kenneth Duremdes, who had the enviable role of sharing playing time with the team’s acknowledged star and team leader Vergel Meneses. He was shipped to Alaska along with slotman Jack Tanuan for Dwight Lago and Boyet Fernandez.
Beginning the 1998 season, only four holdovers were left from the team that almost clinched a grandslam three years ago. With Duremdes gone, the burden of leadership now lies solely on Vergel Meneses. The housecleaning was over and coach Norman Black’s old magic finally led the 800s to the semifinals in the first two conferences and just narrowly missed the Governor’s Cup semis by a game behind the four semifinalist.
In 1999, Pop Cola was once again very busy with player movements, Boybits Victoria was traded to San Miguel for Cris Bolado during the pre-season. In the middle of the year, Vergel Meneses got his wish to be traded and was sent to Barangay Ginebra for Noli Locsin. About three weeks later, a three-on-two deal between San Miguel and Pop Cola saw Nelson Asaytono back to the 800s and along with William Antonio, the Beermen acquired Dwight Lago, Nic Belasco and Cris Bolado in return. Before the start of the last conference of the 1990s era, point guard Boyet Fernandez was traded to Purefoods for another Fernandez named Henry. The team’s backcourt are now trusted to a rookie Jon Ordonio and sophomore Jasper Ocampo. Pop Cola would bowed out without a single victory.
So except for two third place finishes in 1998, Pop Cola never got to regain the winning form it once had. What could be the primary reason for the Bottlers’ downfall from a star-studded squad to a rock bottom. They used to blame Nelson Asaytono, that’s why he was taken out. Then it’s Meneses’ turn to get the blame. It would be unfair to say their first round draft picks Nic Belasco (1997) and Ali Peek (1998) weren’t able to fill in the shoes left by “the Bull”. I think the wrong decision the ballclub made was giving up on Ato Agustin, who never had a chance to be reunited with his former coach Norman Black. Maybe the best reason is that perhaps other teams just got better.
References: Scoreboard issue dated May 5-11, 1997, Sports Weekly Magazine issue dated October 31-November 7, 1997 and November 7-14, 1997
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