San Miguel Beermen Team profile:

The San Miguel Beermen is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team. They are a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 17. The team's franchise is owned by the Philippines' largest food and beverage conglomerate, San Miguel Corporation. San Miguel is one of three PBA ball clubs owned by SMC affiliates and subsidiaries. The others are the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and the Barangay Ginebra Kings.

History

San Miguel is one of nine companies who broke away from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association in 1975 due to their dismay with the Basketball Association of the Philippines. This led to the formation of the first professional basketball league known as the PBA.

San Miguel Beermen

San Miguel Beer

San Miguel won the 1982 PBA Invitational tournament, defeating the Crispa Redmanizers in three games with Tommy Manotoc as head coach. Marte Saldaña won Rookie of the Year honors that year after coming over from the MICAA ranks. He complemented well with Best Import Award winner Norman Black and was instrumental in San Miguel's winning its second championship in 1982 Invitationals against Crispa. Another Saldaña, Antero or Terry of Toyota was also favored to win the Rookie of the Year award but he instigated a free-for-all against the national team of South Korea and by way of penalty, Terry Saldaña was taken out of the Rookie of the Award race. [3]

After Manotoc left to coach Crispa for the 1983 season (which later resulted in a grand slam), San Miguel (was also known as Gold Eagle Beer) managed to win just one third place finish for the next two seasons. In 1985, Gold Eagle changed its name to Magnolia Quench Plus, a product of an SMC subsidiary, but despite the efforts of import Norman Black, Magnolia failed to enter the championship chase.

Grand Slam era

San Miguel continued its winning ways in the 1988 PBA season season by winning the Open Conference that year. After placing fourth in the next conference, San Miguel traded Guidaben to Purefoods for Ramon Fernandez. The trade was executed in the height of a disagreement between Fernandez and Purefoods management.

With Fernandez, the Beermen regained another championship by defeating Shell Rimula-X in the finals of the Reinforced Conference. Fernandez won his fourth and last Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1989, San Miguel began one of the greatest seasons in league history. The Beermen defeated Shell led by Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc in the Open Conference, 4-1. In the All-Filipino Conference, San Miguel defeated a young but hungry Purefoods team in six games. At season's end, San Miguel completed the PBA's third grand slam by trouncing Robert Jaworski's Anejo Rhum 65 in five games with the enlistment of quality import and former Chicago Bull Ennis Whatley.

At the time, San Miguel joined Crispa (1976, 1983) as the only squads to win the coveted grand slam.

"El Presidente" was a prime candidate to win his fifth MVP, but Fernandez was denied by Paras, who became the first and still the only player to win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season. He was however, hailed the MVP by the Philippine Sports Press Corps.

Early 1990s

San Miguel went titleless for the next two seasons, but in 1992, San Miguel defeated Purefoods in seven games to capture the All-Filipino Cup. Ato Agustin became a star on the San Miguel lineup winning the Most Valuable Player Award. However, some believe that Swift's Nelson Asaytono could have won it.

Following Presto's (formerly Great Taste) disbandment in 1993, San Miguel acquired shooter Allan Caidic. The trio of Agustin, Samboy Lim and Caidic in 1993 proved to the peak of San Miguel's backcourt strength. It was during this time that San Miguel's back court is the yard stick of all PBA teams at that time.

San Miguel won the Governor's Cup crown with Kenny Travis as import. At this time, it was the Beermen's 10th PBA title, surpassing Toyota for second on the all-time list.

Magnolia Beverage Masters

After 20 years of carrying the San Miguel name, San Miguel Corporation radically changed the team name to Magnolia Beverage Masters starting the 2007-08 PBA season.

Prior to the change, they named Tanquincen as its permanent coach while they acquired Larry Fonacier from Red Bull. In the 2007 PBA Draft, Samigue Eman and Jonas Villanueva were taken in the first round.

Former First Over-all pick Mike Cortez and potential star Ken Bono were dealt by Alaska for Beverage Masters LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier in a blockbuster trade.

In what could be one of the biggest single-day trade in PBA history, Magnolia acquired Marc Pingris from Purefoods in exchange for a future draft pick. ^[1]

2008-09 season

In 2008, the team again reverted to its old name, San Miguel Beermen.

In the 2008 PBA Draft, the team used its 3rd pick in the 1st round to select 5-foot-11 Point Guard Jason Castro, then traded Castro to Talk 'N Text for the 6-foot-8 Guard/Forward Jay Washington. They also drafted 6-foot-2 Point Guard Bonbon Custodio using their 8th pick, also in the 1st round, during the draft. They have also acquired 6-foot-11 Forward Mick Pennisi from Red Bull in exchange for their 2010 1st Round draft pick.