THE legendary coaching exploits of the Panalay King live on. In 2012, the genial Van Halen Parmis, a Ricky Rubio-lookalike who is better known as the Panalay King in the minor-league Visayas and Mindanao basketball circles, romped away with 32 titles in various pocket four-team tournaments.
Count them with your pair of hands and feet and they won’t reach 32. Add up the combined championships won by Tim Cone and the venerable Virgilio (Baby) Dalupan in the professional Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) history – 16 and 15, respectively – and still they won’t be enough to surpass Parmis’ title achievements in one SINGLE year.
In 2013, the harvest for the 32-year-old Panalay King was a bit few – only 22. Yes, Yeng, Norman and Luigi, there were ONLY 22 championship hardware in the year past for him.
Forgive him for coming up less for he knows what he is doing. Last year, Van Halen was actually doubling duties as an assistant to head tactician Felix (Donbel) Belano on the University of the Visayas’ coaching staff.
He travelled with the Green Lancers team to the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russian Federation and back home, he shared notes with Belano in steering UV to the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.
(CESAFI) men’s basketball diadem in an epic come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over 2012 titlist Southwestern University in the best-of-three finals after being down 0-2.
Parmis’ ties with UV is rooted in the fact that he had graduated from the school in 2002 with a degree in criminology before launching his career as a commercial basketball coach five years ago.
The winning has not stopped for the Panalay King this early in the Year of the Horse (2014). Through early March, the Baybay, Leyte-born Parmis has already galloped his way to 11 titles.
Just last week, his Team Raco/Hofer topped the 13th “Araw ng Sibugay” Governor’s Open tournament after edging Montaña Pawnshop of Davao City, 85-83, in the championship game witnessed by more than 9,000 enthusiastic fans at the Ipil Sports Complex in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Among the players on his roster were battle-scarred veterans Ferdinand Lusdoc, Alfred Gerilla, Ardy Larong, Al Vergara, Reed Juntilla, Dino Daa and Dennis Daa and foreign recruits Joe Etame and Basier Sacor.
Days before its Ipil success, Team Raco also captured the Kabalasan Zamboanga Sibugay Mayor’s Cup Invitational tournament with a 91-84 decision over host Team Kabalasan at the Barangay Kabalasan Gymnasium.
Team Raco is owned by Zamboanga Sibugay Vice Gov. Rey Andre Olegario and his sons Richard and Rambo Ramses Troy.
In Ipil, House of Representative member Ann Kintanar Hofer helped the Olegario group to form Team Raco/Hofer that instantly produced a title.
Both Olegario and Hofer are avid supporters of Philippine sports, particularly basketball, at the grassroots level. Their partnership with Van Parmis has so far resulted in four championships.Great tandem. Great success. The legend of Panalay King continues.