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The turn of the year saw the death of former Geneva guard Emilio “Nonoy” Chuatico, who succumbed to cancer on Saturday in the United States, a source close to the family confirmed to ESPN5.com. He was 55 years old.
On Saturday night, several of Chuatico’s friends had posted their condolences on their personal Facebook accounts.
A deadly outside shooter and playmaker, the six-footer Chuatico played four seasons in the PBA, beginning with Tondeña 65 (Geneva) after being selected eighth in the 1992 rookie draft. He was subsequently traded to Purefoods before the start of the 1995 season, swapping places with Ateneo alumnus Vince Hizon. Chuatico had a career average of 5.0 points in four seasons as a PBA professional. In 1998, he became part of the original Manila Metrostars team in the inaugural season of the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA).
The climax of Chuatico’s basketball career was when he captained the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the first of their consecutive UAAP men’s basketball titles in 1987. That team, coached by Cris Calilan and with future professionals Jun Reyes, Eric Reyes and Alex. Araneta was 14-1 on the season, including a 94-92 win over the EU Warriors in the championship game.
Former Ateneo coach Fritz Gaston, who succeeded Calilan in 1988 and missed training Chuatico, sent this message to ESPN5.com: “Nonoy was a super good person. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body. Coaching a guy. great player. I had the misfortune to play against him in the ABL (Ateneo Basketball League), where he made me, (Joy) Carpio and (Chito) Loyzaga look like clowns. He was unstoppable. I was lucky to have him as a teammate from the office at Ernest’s Gourmet, managing fresh vegetable production in Tagaytay. Again, he was as excellent (as) a manager as he was a ball player. “
After graduating from the Ateneo, Chuatico played in the Philippine Basketball League. His game later earned him a spot on the national team, where he served as captain of the Philippine men’s team that regained the men’s basketball gold medal from the 1991 Southeast Asian Games here in Manila.
Chuatico was subsequently inducted into the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Note: this article has been updated to include Fritz Gaston’s reaction
