Will ‘The Jet’ land on greatest players list?

Jeffrey Cariaso looked more like an ordinary fan rather than a former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) superstar while watching a high school basketball game on a bright Saturday morning in Laguna.

Donning white shirt and a pair of jeans, he was quietly sitting in one corner when DAILY TRIBUNE asked who he was rooting for in a friendly match between De La Salle University-Integrated School and Xavier School Nuvali.

“Well, I’m just helping their (Xavier) basketball program,” said the 52-year-old Cariaso, who is preparing to move into his newly-constructed house in one of the upscale neighborhoods in the Nuvali area.

“Also, I live around the area so watching games like this has been my hobby.”

But Cariaso is more than just a casual supporter. He is strongly being considered to be part of the 50 Greatest Players when the league holds its 50th Anniversary celebration on 9 April at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Leading the special panel tasked to screen those who deserve to be part of the latest batch of “greats” are former PBA commissioner Reunald “Sonny” Barrios, four-time PBA Most Valuable Player Ramon Fernandez (MVP), 1979 MVP Fortunato “Atoy” Co, five-time champion coach Dante Silverio, basketball analysts Joaquin Henson and Andy Jao and sportswriters Ding Marcelo, Al Mendoza and Nelson Beltran.

Actually, Cariaso made an instant impact the moment he was tapped by Alaska with the No. 6 pick of the 1995 Annual Rookie Draft.

With the Milkmen parading the solid core of Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins, Johnny Abarrientos and Poch Junio, Cariaso served as the energy guy who provided the spark off the bench. His impressive performance prompted him to win the Rookie of the Year plum, beating other high-profile newcomers like Dennis Espino and future MVP Kenneth Duremdes.

Cariaso’s career further blossomed when he helped Alaska score a rare grand slam with his free throws in the crucial Game 6 of their best-of-seven finals series against Purefoods serving as the gravy in that very impressive run. He also won a pair of All-Defensive Team recognitions when the Milkmen lifted the 1997 Governors’ Cup and 1998 All-Filipino and Commissioner’s Cup trophies.

Cariaso is praying and hoping to hear his name when the league announces its elite list next month.

Cariaso eventually moved to Mobiline where he became the focal point of offense that earned him the nickname “The Jet.” The switch paid a handsome reward as he won four Mythical First Team selections in 1999. Then, he moved to Tanduay, where he teamed up with fellow Filipino-Americans Sonny Alvarado, Eric Menk and Rudy Hatfield en route to winning back-to-back Mythical Team awards and an All-Defensive Team citation in 2000.

After two years, Cariaso joined Coca-Cola to help it win the 2002 All-Filipino Cup — his first title outside Alaska. He also emerged with an All-Defensive Team recognition and his first Best Player of the Conference trophy while winning the 2003 Reinforced Conference title where he picked up the Finals MVP honor.

He returned to the Fred Uytengsu franchise in 2004 before retiring in 2010, paving the way for him to become an assistant coach when his Alaska mentor Tim Cone won a grand slam with San Mig Coffee in 2014.

All in all, Cariaso has a stellar collection of accolades that include eight PBA titles, ten All-Star team selections, four Mythical First Team, four All-Defensive Team honors and a Finals MVP in the 2003 Reinforced Conference.

Interestingly, he was left out when the league announced its 40 Greatest Players in 2015.

There’s no explanation to the snub but the fact that his career was greatly overshadowed by massive achievements of his contemporaries like Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras and Danny Ildefonso as well as other spectacular Fil-Ams like Alvarado and Menk.

Still, Cariaso is praying and hoping to hear his name when the league announces its elite list next month.

“Hopefully,” he said before disappearing into a thick crowd of young players and their respective families and friends.