Spitfire TY Tang will not only be missed by the La Salle Archers when the UAAP wars get going this month but also by several La Salle athletes whom he quietly and consistently helped the past five years.

Unknown to many, the 5-foot-7 Tang had given up his athletic scholarship grant plus his meal and dormitory allowances to some not-so-rich but deserving La Salle athletes since he was recruited into the team by coach Franz Pumaren in 2003.

Well-known for his competitive passion and big heart even during his high school days at Xavier School, Tang said he doesn't need those perks to keep him going and achieve his goal - to be part of a champion team.

For Tang, being part of the La Salle basketball team was more important than getting those privileges granted to athletic scholars of the school.

"For me, being part of a La Salle basketball team is already a big achievement at saka mas masarap ang feeling mo kapag nakakatulong ka sa iba," said the 23-year-old Tang, who helped the Taft-based squad win a couple of UAAP titles, including last year.

Besides, Tang was living comfortably in a regal home in Greenhills, San Juan and was driving then a trendy car - sometimes he has a driver of his own if there was a scheduled hard practice.

"Actually, it was the idea of my father (Rey) to give up my scholarship and other privileges as an athletic scholar para may makinabang namang iba," said Tang, who also played a key role in the last two championships of Harbour Centre in the PBL.

Tang doesn't know - until now - who benefited from his generosity but his charitable gesture even reached the Batangas province.

It was during Game 2 of the recent PBL best-of-five series between Harbour Centre and Hapee Toothpaste in Tanauan City where Tang's benevolence was talked about.

Actually, it was a priest from Batangas City who informed PBL Commissioner Chino Trinidad about it. "Apat na tao na rin po ang nabigyan ng tulong ng igive-up ko ang mga privileges ko. Sayang din naman kasi ang pagkakataon ng mga ibang naghihirap pero nagsisikap para makatapos. Isang karangalan na po sa akin ang maging student at athlete ng La Salle," said Tang in a text message. "Kahit na maliit na tulong lang po, masaya na rin po ang pakiramdam ko."

A former La Salle teammate also disclosed that the only concession Tang asked from school management for giving up his privileges is to give him several season tickets for his family.

"Ang alam ng marami ay mayroon siyang season ticket kasi mahilig manood ng basketball ang family niya," said Albert Tirona. "Pero late na namin nalaman na binigay na ni TY ang kanyang privileges as a scholar. Kahit ngayong sikat na siya, tahimik pa rin siya."

For his act, he received a Civic Consciousness Award from the PBL.

"Very seldom na mangyari itong ginawa ni TY but I hope other rich athletes will follow what TY did," said Trinidad.

Tang capped his stellar UAAP career by emerging as co-Finals MVP with Cholo Villanueva. He also won the Finals MVP when he led Harbour Centre to a stunning come-from-behind win over Hapee Toothpaste in the PBL Invitational Championship last December.

Though he doesn't need to play in the pro league to earn megabucks - his family being one of the biggest suppliers of electrical, cable and wires in the country, Tang hopes that he will be given a chance to strut his wares in the PBA in the coming season.

"Sana mabigyan din ako ng chance gaya ng binigay sa akin ng La Salle sa UAAP and Harbour Centre sa PBL," said the business management graduate.

La Salle basketball has been synonymous to excellence. Bar none, the Green Archers have been the most prominent collegiate basketball team in the last two decades, starting from the Dindo Pumaren era down to now, the JV Casio era. Replacing Jong Uichico, who was a disappointment in the collegiate coaching ranks but eventually found his mark in the pro league, Franz Pumaren's installation as head coach in 1998 has enshrined La Salle as the most successful UAAP team in the 1990s and 2000s. (Sorry, Thomasians and Ateneans).

In fact, we can still count the number of times the Archers missed the UAAP finals in the last two decades on our fingers, which is a remarkable feat considering the new talents year in and year out.

Year in and year out, sports pundits always expect La Salle to be a contender in the UAAP, as it has brought home the crown to Taft Avenue for already NINE times since joining the UAAP in 1986. (Nine because we sincerely believe the 1991 and the 2004 jewels are still rightfully ours).

For all you Lasallian members out there (especially for the older ones), which is the sweetest UAAP championship for you, and why?

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1990 - The Jun Limpot-led Archers torched UE for back-to-back championships

1991 - La Salle did not show up for the controversial re-match championship game, relinquishes 3-peat

1992 - La Salle settles for third place; FEU led by Johnny A downs Adamson in the Finals

1993 - La Salle, by virtue of UST's sweep, settles for second place

1994 - UST wins crown over La Salle (aka the Henry Ong Massacre 1)

1995 - UST wins crown over La Salle (aka the "ghost spirit" championship game)

1996 - UST wins crown over La Salle (aka the Henry Ong Massacre 2)

1997 - FEU wins crown defeating La Salle by 2 points and 1 point respectively in Games 1 and 2 of the Finals (aka the "Robin Mendoza you're too old to be still playing in the UAAP" year)
(THIS WAS ALSO MEMORABLE BECAUSE LA SALLE FINALLY SLAYED THE UST GHOST BY DEFEATING THE TIGERS IN THE F4.)

FRANZ PUMAREN ERA


1998 - La Salle FINALLY wins crown, this time over FEU, after defeating UST again in the Final Four


1999 - La Salle wins crown over UST (by virtue of Dino Aldeguer's miracle shot; good thing UST's Jeff Valeriano, who started a free-for-all rumble against ADMU, was tamed in the Finals; aka the controversial BJ Manalo suiting up for La Salle year)


2000 - La Salle wins crown over FEU



2001 - La Salle wins crown over Ateneo (aka the "They Believed, We Achieved" year, aka Mac Cardona's rookie year)

2002 - La Salle loses to archrival Ateneo in the Finals (aka the Gec Chia miracle shot vs. UE year, aka the Ateneo foiled La Salle's sweep year, aka the no more Ren Ren year)

2003 - La Salle loses to archrival Ateneo in the Final Four, Ateneo gets beaten by FEU in the Finals (Cardona did not suit up in the Final Four, spraining his ankle in the last game of the eliminations, but YEO "THE MAN" SUPERMAN carried the Archers)


2004 - La Salle beats FEU in the Finals, championship later nullified because of the Mark Benitez brouhaha

2005 - La Salle loses to FEU in the finals

2006 - SUSPENDED

2007 - VINDICATION

1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 or 2007?