Jorge; 78

Nic Jorge was credited for the long, stellar careers of the likes of Benjie Paras, Jerry Codinera and Jun Limpot. But it’s hard to put in numbers his contribution to Philippine basketball.

Joey Romasanta, the Gintong Alay chief in the 1980s, said even during then, Jorge was an accomplished coach of the national team and established a pioneering basketball clinic.

“I don’t know if somebody has kept statistics and numbers of awards he received, but you can’t really quantify his contribution in basketball development,” Romasanta said. “He played a very significant role in grassroots as well as the national team.”

Jorge died on Saturday morning at the age of 78.

He put up the Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training (BEST) Center in 1978 and the program has become an institution in the country. —Marc Anthony Reyes