The Philippine basketball community was at a loss following the demise of Antero "Terry" Saldaña on Wednesday due to a lingering kidney ailment.

He was 64.

Known for his tough, rugged brand of basketball, former teammates and coaches cited their fond memories of him, especially his rise from a hardworking teen at Letran College and University of Santo Tomas into one of the best power forwards in the Philippine Basketball Association.

He barged into the league as a promising 18-year-old bruiser of the Toyota Super Corollas in 1982. He was so impressive that he got into contention for the Rookie of the Year but got involved in brawl with the South Korean team that disqualified him for the top newcomer award.

Interestingly, another Saldaña ran away with the honor – Marte Saldaña.

Still, Saldaña went on to win the Most Improved Player award while playing for Gilbey's Gin.

But it was with Ginebra, during Robert Jaworski's first season as playing coach in 1985, where Saldaña was given a bigger role as partner of Ricky Relosa.

"We were partners at Ginebra," Relosa, now based in New Jersey, told Daily Tribune.

"We would always talk when we were playing at Ginebra. He is a joy to be with because you know that he will always have your back and gets along well with his teammates."

Alvin Patrimonio, a four-time Most Valuable Player, admitted that he would marvel at Saldaña every time he operates at the post.

"He's got a nice pivot moves, he can go left and right while facing the basket," Patrimonio, who was a Toyota fan during Saldaña's stint.

"I was a Toyota fan, so he was one of the players I was closely watching because we play the same position and I adopted some of the moves that he's been doing as a player."