FORMER UST basketball star and Olympian Rafael “Paing” Hechanova passed away Thursday. He was 93.
Hechanova, whose trademark was his tough defense, led the UST to remarkable feats during his inter-collegiate basketball stint with the Glowing Goldies.
In 1951, the Goldies gave the University a grand slam of tri-titles—the UAAP, National Intercollegiate, and National Open basketball championships.
He joined the Philippine basketball team in the same year when they snagged a gold medal in the inaugural Asian Games in New Delhi.
“From intramural find to captain of the Glowing Goldies, the Pontifical Pillar silenced Japan’s ace forward as anchor man of the Champion Philippine Cagers at New Delhi,” a 1951 report by the Varsitarian archives wrote.
“Clean, admired by friends and foe alike and one of the country’s best guards. He is the University of Santo Tomas’ edition of the typical Filipino athlete,” it added.
Hechanova was named “Mr. Basketball” in a unanimous vote by the Philippine Sportswriters Association for his achievements at the time.
He also competed for the country in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and the 1954 Asian Games in Manila.
The Olympian played commercially for the YCO Redshirts in the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association.
In 1975, he was appointed as second vice president of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Hechanova was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.The basketball hall of famer was also the chairman of the Philippine Olympians Association, which recently launched a website that will serve as a database for all the Filipino Olympians.
