In 1996, the Alaska Milkmen ruled the PBA after capturing the elusive Grand Slam, but had failed to replicate their 3-peat ever since.
However, in 2013, what once felt like an impossible task became a reality for them.
Let’s look back at how the Alaska Aces used the last ace up their sleeve to capture the PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship.
Origins: The Rise and Fall of Alaska’s Empire
Given the Head Coaching duties way back in 1989, Tim Cone was able to build an empire for the Alaska Milkmen after winning multiple championships, including the 1996 Grand Slam.
And even after failing to duplicate the success of the 3-peat that they once had, they still won championships, which also included back-to-back titles in 1998.
They’ve also won in 1997 Governor’s Cup, 2000 All-Filipino, 2003 Invitational, 2007, and 2009 Fiesta Conference.
But on September 1, 2011, the Alaska Management announced that Tim Cone would no longer be the Head Coach of one of the best franchises in the league. This ends the 22-year tenure of Tim with them.
And on September 14 2011, it was revealed to the public that the San Miguel Corporation group had assigned Tim Cone to be the new Head Coach with one of their teams, B-Meg Llamados.
Joel Banal, the long-time assistant coach of Tim Cone, shouldered the Head Coaching responsibilities in the now renamed Alaska Aces.
Dark Times: Banal Resignation to Early Coaching of Luigi Trillo
Not even 1 year in his job, Joel Banal resigned from his position as the Head Coach of Alaska in April 2012. Mr. Wilfred Uytengsu, owner of the team, tapped the services of Luigi Trillo to be their Head Coach.
Despite finishing 9th place in the PBA 2012 Governor’s Cup, Mr. Uytengsu still gave Trillo a 2 year deal. This is after their squad had one of the most horrible conferences, as they only had 2 wins.
Then the following season, Luigi did the unthinkable and brought the team to the highest of the highs.
The Perfect Blend of Vets, Youngs, and Star Players
One of the biggest acquisitions of Luigi as a Head Coach was to get the veteran shooting guard, Dondon Hontiveros.
The team needed a shooter and not just a three-point specialist, but also someone who has been around for quite some time and knows how to win.
They also found a gem from the rising star in the name of JVee Casio, who was one of the key players in the Powerade Tigers miraculous playoff run.
Then, the biggest name of all, despite being a rookie, Calvin Abueva reinserted himself to be the face of this team in the 2012-13 PBA Season.
Calvin earned the nickname “The Beast” college his collegiate years due to his scrappy playing style and ridiculous effort on both ends of the floor.
Then there were the veteran players who have been around the team, like their reliable center Sonny Thoss, along with the forward Tony Dela Cruz.
Then there were those players who came off the bench like the 6th man guard, RJ Azul, their forward Gabby Espinas, and backup center Sam Emman.
Throwing the Last Ace
To begin their campaign in the PBA 2013 Philippine Cup, the Aces finished the 5th seed with a record of 8-6 and faced the Meralco Bolts in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
They lost 2 games to none to end their campaign. Alaska then recruited the 6-foot-9 Rob Dozier as their import in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Aces topped the standings after the elimination round with a win-loss record of 11 wins and 3 losses, earning them the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Alaska barely escaped the Air21 Express, then in the best-of-five semifinals versus the San Mig Coffee Mixers, they only allowed the Tim Cone-led squad to win 1 game before eliminating them.
Then in the Finals, they met the crowd darlings, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. But in the best-of-five series, they didn’t give any hope to the Barangay faithful as they easily swept the most famous team in the Philippines, 3-0, in order to get their title after 4 years.
The veteran Sonny Thoss earned the Finals MVP while Rob Dozier got the Best Import Award. Calvin Abueva, who became the villain for Ginebra fans in their series because of his “psycho antics”, won the Rookie of the Year award.
How good was this team? Well, that Aces in 2013 had the second-best record in 35 years, second to that grand slam of Tim Cone.
This squad also accumulated a winning percentage of .636, one of the best years of the team in the league, which allowed Luigi Trillo to win the Coach of the Year from the PBA Press Corps.
“I’ll be forever grateful for entrusting me to be part of that championship in 2013,” said Trillo in a report by Reuben Terrado of Spin. “That was such a magical run.”
However, this would be the last time that Luigi would be on top of the mountain. As the following conferences up until next season, Alaska could only reach the quarterfinals before bowing out of the competition.
In the 2013-14 PBA Season, Luigi Trillo was fired from the Head Coaching role and assigned long-time Assistant Head Coach Alex Compton to replace him.
Alex Compton would then bring his Alaska team to multiple Finals appearances, but was never fortunate enough to get the championship again.
From Red to Purple: Converge Buys the Team
On March 23, 2022, Converge ICT Solutions officially purchased the rights of the Alaska franchise, replacing them in the Philippine Basketball Association.
They then named their squad, Converge FiberXers, and now wear their own colors of purple, white, and green, far from the iconic colors of Alaska, which were red, white, and black.
And even after 3 years, Converge still hasn’t reached their ultimate goal of winning it all.
