Legacy of The Aerial Voyager
After Danny Florencio there was Samboy Lim, and after Samboy Lim there's Vergel Meneses. On the time line of PBA innovators, aerial artists who stretched the limits of what could be done on and above the floor, Meneses holds a respectable place.
In the post-Samboy Lim era, the 6-foot-3 Meneses continued to move the game off the floor on the strength of his wondrous legs, then finished plays with the creativity of his boundless skills. He personifies hang time, making up moves in mid-air before scoring with a graceful shot off the glass or a twisting lay up.
His aerial acrobatics continued to dazzle PBA fans, winning fans nationwide and making his nickname, Aerial Voyager, familiar around the country. Vergel, like Samboy, seems to defy gravity as he soars to the basket on the fly. Opponents know what Vergel can do, but they never know how he's going to do it - and that makes him virtually impossible to stop.
"In the eyes of most coaches today, there is no player as dangerous on the offense as Vergel," wrote the PBA Annual. "The reason is simple. The 1995 league MVP can break down opposing teams in so many ways, from his crowd-pleasing drives to his long jumpers to his ability to see the floor and hit open teammates with the perfect pass."
Sunkist almost completed a Grand Slam in 1995, the year the former Jose Rizal College Bomber airwalked his way head and shoulders above the rest and won the Most Valuable Player award.
The RFM franchise surrounded the flamboyant forward with a horde of talents to ensure winning, including a clone - Kenneth Duremdes - who would later turn out to be an equally great player and a fellow member of the elite MVP club.
One of Vergel's biggest assets aside from his aerial acrobatics is his big fighting heart. He is a big time player who is not afraid to seek the ball when the chips are down. He is a player who is willing to take the last shot and has been successful most of the time.
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