Former Philippine Basketball Association player and Ateneo Sports Hall of Famer Emilio “Nonoy” King Chuatico Jr. passed away on New Year’s Day in Atlanta, Georgia in the US.
A member of St. John’s Institute Class 1982, the 55-year-old Chuatico succumbed to cancer, his former classmates from SJI said.
“Nonoy was a good man and a positive influence to others. He was a great father to his daughters and a true friend to many,” his former classmates posted on Hua Ming’s facebook account.
Chuatico was captain of the basketball team that clinched SJI’s first NOPSSCEA championship in 1981. He also led the team to another title in Triangular Meet among Chinese Catholic Schools in the Visayas.
Tapped to suit up for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in college, he helped the team won its first UAAP Basketball Championship in 1987 and was skipper of the Philippine men’s team that won the gold in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
“He was a valuable member of our batch and will continue to be a source of great pride to us,” his former SJIS classmates said.
Chuatico was the No.8 overall pick in the 1992 PBA draft and played for Ginebra and Purefoods until 1995. He played for the Manila Metrostars in the MBA.
He was inducted to the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
Meanwhile, another loss to the local basketball community is former Bacolod Tay Tung High School mentor Bobby Tee.
Coach Bob, as he was fondly called by his young wards, was founding president of the Basketball Coaches Association of Negros and was instrumental to the revival of the Negros Basketball Association games in 2018. — NAB
