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MANILA, Philippines – Tony dela Cruz and Dondon Hontiveros have a lot in common. They are both direct recruits to the league, they are both 3-time PBA champions and they both may have played their last game for the Alaska Aces Wednesday, September 20.
But what separates them is that Dela Cruz is certain in his retirement plans while Hontiveros is also considering hanging up his sneakers for good.
Dela Cruz, who entered the league in 1999 as a direct recruit for the now-defunct Shell Turbo Chargers, said he laments not ending his career with a championship the way his mentor, Jeff Cariaso, did.
“I think for me, I am excited to walk away that I had someone like Jeff Cariaso to mentor me. Unfortunately, we did not win a championship, Jeff got to win a championship in 2010,” said the Aces captain who had 12 points and 6 boards in his farewell game.
“I’m excited that I can step away knowing that I had a good run. Sayang we did not win a championship in the last couple years but that’s how basketball is.”
Despite his retirement, Dela Cruz, a 4-time All-Star, said he wants to be around the game as much as possible and ultimately be a PBA coach someday, noting he had great teachers who guided him throughout his career.
Hontiveros, meanwhile, could not give a definite answer when asked if he would already walk away from the league he has been playing for since getting directly recruited by Tanduay in 2000.
“Hindi rin natin masasabi (we really cannot say), if you ask me now, if you look at it statistically, 1 out of 8? But I feel good about myself, I try to stay in shape,” said the Cebuano Hotshot who wound up scoring just two points on 12.5% shooting today in a 30-point loss to Rain or Shine.
The 40-year-old sharpshooter added he just wants to “enjoy the moment with my teammates and reflect on what I have learned.”
If the 13-time All-Star decides to hang it up, he will end up with the fourth most three-pointers in the history of the PBA with 1,137 treys behind legends Jimmy Alapag, Allan Caidic and Ronnie Magsanoc. – Rappler.com
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