Dondon Hontiveros

Direct hire by Tanduay in 1999. One of the most explosive shooting guard in the league today. A 2 time RP Team member.

Name: Dondon Hontiveros

Jersey Number: 07

Team: San Miguel

Birthdate: 1977-06-01

Birthplace: Cebu City

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 175 lbs.

Position: Guard

Draft(Year): Direct hire by Tanduay (1999)

College/University: University of Cebu

Player’s Profile:

Is a Filipino professional basketball player actively playing for the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association, He has a son named Isiah with singer and fellow Cebu native Gail Blanco.

A devout Evangelical Christian^[1], Hontiveros studied and honed his basketball skills in his home province. Just like any accomplished athlete, success did not come easy for him. In fact his initial foray into basketball was greeted with heartbreak and disappointment.

He fancied basketball at a young age and tried to enter the sport at a competitive level in his first year of high school. But at that time, since he lacked the height, no one took notice of the young Dondon. Fortunately, the young Dondon had a growth spurt by the time he was in 3rd year so he was taken into the high school basketball team of Don Bosco Tech.

At last, they started to take notice, although his first year as a member of the team was spent mostly on the bench. By the time Dondon became a high school senior, he was already a regular on the team. At this point, he was already as tall as the team’s center. Hontiveros’ jump to the next level – college basketball – suffered a minor setback when he ended his senior high school year with an injury.

To keep himself competitive, he played in the intramurals at University of San Jose-Recoletos. Dondon eventually played college ball at the University of Cebu for three years. His skills blossomed while playing college basketball, and it was at that time that this Cebuano was geared for big-time basketball.

He had fans going ga-ga in two seasons with the Cebu Gems - a spectacle never seen up South since the days of Jojo Lastimosa with Mama's Love in the early '80s.

The new millenium saw the talented Cebuano taking his act to the PBA by way of Tanduay, but not after a tug-of-war that saw his former team as well as San Miguel Beer fighting for the rights to have him down to the very end.

Some topnotch coaches say he is a can't-miss prospect. The 2000 season will see if that is true.