1985 Shell Azodrin Bugbusters season explained

Pbayear:1985
Team:Shell Azodrin Bugbusters
Coach:Freddie Webb
1C-Name:Open Conference
1C-Wins:4
1C-Losses:11
1C-Place:6th
1C-Playoffs:Quarterfinals
2C-Name:All Filipino Conference
2C-Wins:10
2C-Losses:11
2C-Place:2nd
2C-Playoffs:Finals (lost to Great Taste)
No-3C:1
3C-Name:Reinforced Conference
3C-Wins:2
3C-Losses:10
3C-Place:7th
3C-Playoffs:Eliminated
Owners:Pilipinas Shell, Inc.
Nextseason:1986

The 1985 Shell Azodrin Bugbusters season was the first season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

New team

Pilipinas Shell Corporation bought out the lock, stock and barrel of the famed Crispa Redmanizers, the winningest ballclub which disbanded as the league enters its 11th season. The newest member to be known as Shell Chemicals or Shell Azodrin retained only four Redmanizers namely Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa, Arturo Cristobal and Willie Pearson. They were able to acquire three-time MVP William Adornado from Great Taste when they traded the 1984 Rookie of the year Willie Pearson in exchange.

Shell got six rookies who were amateur standouts, three of them were former PABL MVPs, 6-5 center Sonny Cabatu, the two-time PABL MVP and the pro league's number one overall pick in the first-ever rookie draft, 1983 PABL Founders Cup MVP Manuel Luis Marquez, a 1984 youth campaigner, and 1984 PABL Ambassador's Cup MVP Leo Austria, a 1982 RP Youth stalwart. Their other three top-rated rookies were Romeo Ang, Aldo Perez and Menardo Jubinal.

Former Yco amateur team coach Freddie Webb, who last coached the Tanduay team in 1983 and who wound up as Vintage panelist in the previous year was Shell's choice to call the shots for the Bugbusters, which got their monicker through the megahit film Ghostbusters.[1] Shell opened their first conference campaign with Kevin Graham as its import, they lost their first two games and Graham was replaced by the returning, former N-Rich and SMB import Rich Adams.

Finals stint

The Shell Bugbusters played in the PBA finals in only their second participated tournament during the All-Filipino Conference. They lost to defending champion Great Taste Coffee Makers in four games of the best-of-five title playoffs.

See main article: 1985 PBA All-Filipino Conference finals.

Awards

Won-loss records vs Opponents

Team Win Loss 1st (Open) 2nd (All-Filipino) 3rd (Reinforced)
Ginebra 4 5 2-0 2-3 0-2
Great Taste 4 8 1-1 3-5 0-2
Magnolia 4 3 1-2 2-0 1-1
Manila Beer 1 6 0-3 1-1 0-2
Northern (NCC) 1 4 0-3 N/A 1-1
Tanduay 2 6 0-2 2-2 0-2
Total 16 32 4-11 10-11 2-10

Roster

Imports

NameConferenceNo.Pos.Ht.College
Open Conference32Center-Forward6"8'GWU
40Center-Forward6"9'UIUC
Howard CarterReinforced Conference32Forward6"5'LSU
Lester Rowe24Forward6"5'WVU

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Enter, The Bugbusters!.