It was supposed to be just an ordinary reunion.
At least, that’s what I thought as I dusted off that black gameday shirt, ready to meet some of La Salle basketball’s OGs. I should’ve known better. You don’t just casually walk into a gathering featuring the godfathers of La Salle’s UAAP basketball renaissance.
This was the crew that didn’t just play basketball—they redefined it for the Green Archers. And the setting? Hacienda Calamansi, the events estate owned by none other than Arnel Guste—yes, that Arnel Guste, the fleet-footed rebounding monster with a deadly midrange who could body you in the paint and then take you off the dribble like a modern-day stretch four before anyone even knew what that was.
The original “WILD THING” Arnel Guste that the fans in green and white would sing in unison every time Arnel was fielded in.
The moment I walked in, Guste welcomed me like a long-lost teammate, his handshake still firm enough to box you out from the buffet table. It felt like stepping into a living time capsule.
Imagine being in the same 400 square meters with De La Salle legends in the names of Dicky Bachmann, Alvin Magpantay, Mari Yturri, Jed Carlos, Lawrence Yulo, Boboy Cortes, BJ Afable, Jun Torral, Wacky Garcia, Ponce Castelo, Henry Syjueco, Dino Ponce Enrile, Professional coach and PBA TV icon Richard Del Rosario, current DLSU assistant coach Oliver Bunyi, Dwight Lago, three-time UAAP MVP and PBA legend Jun Limpot, PBA coach Johnedel Cardel, former DLSU head coach Gee Abanilla, Lincoln Lim and of course the legendary Coach Manong Derrick Pumaren.
One by one, the legends began to appear, starting with the OG high-flyer himself, Johnedel Cardel. Let me tell you, Cardel wasn’t just a star; he was THE star who turned heads when he joined the Green Archers. His hops were ridiculous, his jumper pure, and his swagger unmatched. Think Samboy Lim meshed with Paul Alvarez, with a dash of Jojo Lastimosa for good measure. Every time Cardel caught the ball off a back cut, you half-expected him to hit a highlight reel dunk or pound the ball to elevate to that sweet J.
And then there was Gee Abanilla—the original homegrown De La Salle Zobel phenom. Before the days of high-stakes recruiting and viral mixtapes, there was Abanilla, the Zobel kid who went from dominating the La Salle Athletic League for FAST 84 to saving the Green Archers on the biggest stage. Who could forget the 1989 Finals? Game Two, down to the wire against FEU, and here comes Abanilla slicing through the lane, leaving Pat Codinera spinning in circles, finishing with a finger roll that might as well have been a dagger.
“It was all God’s will,” Gee told me when I brought it up, his humility as unshakable as his jump shot. “Right place, right time. Thank God I could deliver.” Yeah, Gee—we thank God too.
Gee sat beside Lincoln Lim, La Salle’s defensive answer to every scoring machine they played against. Now an automotive tycoon, Lim shared that his assignment as a defensive specialist couldn’t have come as an odd assignment.
Coming to La Salle as the leading scorer for Chiang Kai Shek College in the Tiong Lian Basketball Tournament, Lincoln barged into the tryouts on the last day of finishing the lineup. But Coach Pumaren liked these kinds of players. Scrappy and one who fought for every 50-50 ball at the same time full-heartedly hustled defensively. Although he knew if he had to crack Pumaren’s rotation, he needed to add significant value, and defense became his ticket for an ample amount of playing time.
Lincoln was deputized to shut down all the leading scorers, including Ateneo’s Jun Reyes and Olsen Racela, the high-flying Bong Ravena of UE, Johnny Abarrientos of FEU, among many others.
“Hindi naman defense ang laro ko,” Lim confessed then bursting into laughter.
Then Joey Santamaria ambled over, the Kevin McHale of Taft Avenue. If you needed a bucket in the paint back then, you fed Santamaria in the middle. His pivot moves were a masterclass—up-and-unders, shoulder fakes, spins. The dude was a walking textbook of post-play, and watching him operate was like attending a clinic where you were also the helpless defender getting torched.
In the first-round FEU match, Santamaria burned the Tamaraw interior defense with 32 points, leading his Green Archers to their 5th straight win.
Now an advertising industry icon, Santamaria recalled the road to redemption. “I played for La Salle since 1984, and 1989 was my final year. It was not easy beating this team because they were made up of future professional stars.”
He wasn’t kidding. FEU that year boasted an embarrassment of riches: the high-flying Johnny Abarrientos as their primary ball carrier, the hulking Victor Pablo lording the shaded lane, their double-wing threats Edgar Postanes and Andy de Guzman, and the late Morayta big man Jack Tanuan.
“We just wanted it more that year,” Santamaria said, reflecting on how the David of La Salle knocked out the FEU Goliaths. “We were hungrier, and I’m just grateful it paid off and to be part of that history.”
The road to the 1989 crown wasn’t an easy march—it was a battle of hearts, grit, and sheer willpower. La Salle trailed at halftime in the winner-take-all game, 47-53, as FEU’s freight train of talent looked every bit the unstoppable force many had feared.
The 1989 Green Archers? They were the immovable object.
La Salle stormed out after halftime with a 13-1 run, cracking the Tamaraw code and seizing a 60-54 lead. The energy in the Rizal Memorial Coliseum became electric, a sea of green roaring back to life, and every cheer of “DERECHO LA SALLE” and “Go La Salle, Go Go La Salle” behind the instrumentals of Salt n Peppa’s Push It, became a reminder of decades of tradition and pride.
The tension turned unbearable as FEU clawed back, dicing the lead to 71-67. At the peak of that moment, every possession felt like a season on its own. Are the Archers going to melt? Or will we break the ceiling this time?
To the many green and white faithful, their prayers were filled with “please, just this once.”
And then it happened—that shot. Eddie Viaplana, La Salle’s deadliest sharpshooter, came off a screen and launched a triple that seemed to hang in the air for a lifetime.
While the leather was rotating off that Viaplana backspin, the entire Rizal Coliseum held their collective breath. Then, one of the biggest clutch moments in UAAP basketball happened; it SWISHED. The mammoth green crowd erupted in sheer elation, almost blowing off the roof of that ancient coliseum. It wasn’t just a three-pointer; it was a dagger, the exclamation point to an unforgettable series. That rightful end sealed an equally unforgettable season.
The search for that first championship was finally over!
When the final buzzer sounded, it wasn’t just a game that ended—it was the culmination of years of sacrifice, heartbreak, and hard-fought battles. The players were mobbed by jubilant fans, the echoes of “Animo La Salle!” reverberating from Rizal to La Salle.
As the team strolled back to Taft, the celebrations began to take on a life of their own. La Sallians flooded the South Gate, green banners waving like victory flags. The College Canteen became the epicenter of pure, unfiltered joy on campus. The free Purefoods Hotdogs were the stuff of legend—simple, yes, but never had a snack tasted so sweet. (and of course, it was free)
Little did we know, it was the start of a dynasty. The start of building a program that was sustained for decades.
The birth of the ANIMO.
But this night was far from over; the topic had moved to La Salle’s title retention drive, that grand slam feat, all the way to the modern-day Green Archers.
COMING UP: MORE INSIDE STORIES FROM NEXT LA SALLE’S QUEST FOR A BACK-TO-BACK.
