That Racela lasted this long in such a competitive league is a remarkable story in itself. With little more than court smarts, superb conditioning and a go-go-go attitude that earned him the nickname Rah-Rah-Racela, this scrawny point guard with a weird-looking shot has managed to hang around for 17 seasons, much longer than a good many number of more celebrated players. He isn’t the quickest, and he certainly isn’t the best shooter. He’s not the shiftiest, nor does he have the best court vision. But he’s still playing, in part because he has managed to avoid any serious injuries over the course of his career, and in part because, well, he’s still got game.

Jun Limpot, Victor Pablo, Johnny Abarrientos, Dwight Lago, Benny Cheng, Johnedel Cardel, Boyet Fernandez, Dickie Bachmann, Allan Garrido and Freddie Abuda. These were the 10 players taken ahead of Racela in the 1993 PBA draft. No argument with the top three picks. But if someone had said after the draft that Racela would go on to have the lengthiest career in this rookie batch, he would have drawn a considerable amount of derisive laughter.

Actually, the mere fact that Racela made it to the PBA is just as remarkable as his longevity. Racela and I finished high school in the same year – 1987 – but we went to different high schools situated at opposite ends of Katipunan. But being the sports nut that I was even then, I was vaguely aware of him as a player of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, who swept the UAAP juniors tournament in Olsen’s senior year.

Racela wasn’t even the starting point guard of that powerhouse high school team. Alfie Manlulo was, and when both point guards tried out for the UP Fighting Maroons after graduation, it was Manlulo who got the nod. UP was the defending UAAP champion back then, and it was a priority destination of many blue-chip high school players.

Racela went to Ateneo, but he was hardly a shoo-in for the seniors team. I remember reading an article several years ago that said Racela was given the last slot on the1987 Blue Eagles only because one of the players was dropped at the last minute. If that hadn’t happened, who knows if Racela’s playing career would ever have taken off. In any case, the freshman point guard found himself in a familiar role: playing back-up point guard, which he did for three seasons behind Jun Reyes. But during this time period, he was named team captain of the Philippine 17-and-under team that placed second in the 1987 Asian Basketball Confederation 17-And-Under tournament. Around a year later, he made it to the Youth Team which captured third place in the Asian Youth Tournament.

I suppose it’s safe to say that making these two national teams boosted Olsen’s stock as well as his confidence. He finally started as point guard for the Blue Eagles in 1990, leading his team to a respectable third-place finish despite the graduation of Reyes and other key players. By this time, he was already Philippine Basketball League (PBL)-material, where he was a regular fixture for four seasons until he turned pro.

Racela was drafted by his college coach Chot Reyes, who was then the head coach of Coney Island Ice Cream (for the uninitiated, yes, there was such an ice cream brand once upon a time; this was the name the Purefoods franchise went by in the ’93 PBA season). Unlike the more celebrated point guard of his rookie batch, Abarrientos, who very quickly grabbed the starting point guard spot in Alaska from, ironically, Jun Reyes, Racela was the third point guard in Coney Island’s rotation behind veterans Dindo Pumaren and Frankie Lim.

He played for Purefoods for four seasons before transferring to San Miguel Beer in 1997, and remains a Beerman to this day. That alone is another remarkable run. He’s made it to two Asian Games teams, two Mythical First Teams, two Mythical Second teams, and five All-Star teams. He’s won countless championships and the respect of the league’s younger players.

They say point guard is the hardest position to play in basketball. It’s a position that constantly requires thinking, and in this respect Racela was also very fortunate to have been coached by some of the greatest basketball minds in the country: Ato Badolato in the youth teams, Chot Reyes in college and with Purefoods, Joe Lipa in the PBL, and Ron Jacobs with San Miguel.

So while he was never the best in any one aspect of the game, Racela’s well-conditioned and injury-free body coupled with a sharp basketball mind allowed him to become the oldest PBA point guard not named Robert Jaworski.

For someone whose nickname comes from All Saints Day, it’s quite fitting that Olsen Racela has become the patron saint of back-up point guards.

Sid Ventura, Fit To Post