INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?His memory is as sharp as his fabled shooting touch.

To this day, South Korean basketball legend Shin Dong Pa still remembers great Filipino players of the past, and even the exact score when his national team stunned the Philippines in a championship match 40 years ago.

?I have many good memories of the Philippines,? said the 64-year-old Shin. ?I think (the late Ed) Ocampo is the best Filipino player. In all my games, I score 40 to 50 points. But when I?m against Ocampo, I only make 30.?

Deemed as the deadliest Asian gunner of all time, Shin feels sorry to see both Korea and the Philippines? unfortunate turnaround from Asia?s top two basketball powerhouses to international also-rans.

?Along with Ocampo, (the late Tembong) Melencio and Freddie Webb are also among the best Filipino players,? Shin, through an interpreter, told reporters over dinner last Thursday.

?They were the best at that time. They were perfect on individual skills, technical skills and teamwork. They had a very good system. Now, it?s more on individual skills. Showmanship is becoming more important. But you don?t get five points even if you make a great shot or a dunk. It?s still just two points. Players forget teamwork, which is more important.?

As a former Korean team star, Shin witnessed the best of times in Philippine basketball. At 6-foot-2, he tried to lead Korea with his famously perfected jumpshots versus the dominating Filipinos in regional meets from 1962 to 1973.

Thus, he counts among his career highlights the 1969 Asian Basketball Confederation championship in Bangkok where he shot 48 points to lift Korea to a stinging 95-86 triumph that ended the Philippines? reign.

?If ever I?m reborn again, I?d like to be a pro player here in the Philippines,? said Shin, who arrived Wednesday to join former greats like Robert Jaworski, Atoy Co and Webb in the promotional activities of Uptown 21, a five-building residential complex in Central Avenue, Quezon City.

?From 1970 to 1974, I received many proposals and I regret now that I didn?t take them,? added Shin. ?But at that time, our culture was very conservative. If you transfer to another team or another country, people will think that you?re a traitor. ?

Shin said it will take a lot of work to bring the old basketball glory back to the Philippines and Korea.

?What?s happening in the Philippines is the same thing that?s happening in Korea,? said Shin, who now serves as vice president of the Korean Basketball Association. ?When the professional leagues started, players prefer money over national pride. There must be a change in attitude.?