THIS is one of the most memorable moments in local pro basketball history that is worth telling and retelling.
Hoop fans from Generation X may not even have known this historic event unless their dad or grandpa had told them about it many moons ago.
It was 26 years ago on November 21 that Allan Caidic exploded for 79 points during a game in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Slim and none are the chances of anyone to duplicate, let alone surpass, Caidic’s mind-boggling scoring feat, with the relatively low-scoring games nowadays in Asia’s first professional cage league (the Chinese Basketball Association later followed suit).
On November 21, 1991, Caidic shot the lights out of the Araneta Coliseum by chalking up 79 points for Tivoli (formerly Great Taste/Presto) in a 162-149 shellacking of crowd favorite Ginebra San Miguel.
With that, Caidic registered the all-time PBA single-game scoring record by a homegrown Filipino player.
Fondly monikered “The Triggerman” for his prodigious shooting touch, the unassuming left-handed hotshot turned in the trick in only his fifth PBA campaign at age 28.
Among the locals, Paul (Bong) Alvarez was the only player other than Caidic to breach the 70-point barrier. Known as “Mr. Excitement,” Alvarez knocked in 71 markers for Alaska in a 169-138 win over Shell on April 26, 1990.
Caidic made a dozen two-point field goals, 17 three-point field goals and four free throws in his 79-point feast to set several other all-time PBA single-game records by a local player.
These are: Most points in one half, 53 (second half); most points in one quarter, 37 (third); most three-point shots made, 17; and most three-point attempts, 27.
Two years before, Caidic also tallied 68 points (nine 2FGS, 15 3FGs and five FTs) for Presto in a 175-159 overtime victory over Alaska on November 2, 1989.
Caidic, who together with Jerry Codiñera, Boycie Zamar and Godofredo Lim (the father of teen heartthrob and actor Xian Lim) helped guide the University of the East Red Warriors to their most recent University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) championship in 1985, performed with Great Taste/Presto/Tivoli, San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra in the PBA.
During his distinguished 13-year PBA career from 1987 to 1999, the 6-foot-2 forward from Pasig City hit at a 19.59-point clip in 598 games.
Caidic’s career scoring average still ranks fourth on the all-time local list behind Filipino-American Ricardo Brown (23.1 ppg), William (Bogs) Adornado (20.4) and Ernesto (Estoy) Estrada (19.65).
Caidic is one of only 14 men in PBA history to collect at least 10,000 points, with his 11,719 scores good for 10th place on the all-time scoring ladder until now. (James Yap of Rain or Shine was the most recent – joining the elite list during the 2016-17 season).
With 1,242 triples, Caidic, until now, still ranks No. 2 on the league’s all-time list for three-point field goals made, trailing the recently-retired Jimmy Alapag (1,250) but far outdistancing Ronald (Ronnie) Magsanoc (1,171).
Caidic earned PBA Rookie of the Year honors with Great Taste in 1987 and was the league’s Most Valuable Player with Presto three years later.
The 54-year-old Caidic is now into coaching.
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