I still remember the first time I saw Joey Marquez play—it was during the 1989 PBA season, and even as a rookie, he had this electric presence on the court that you couldn't ignore. His career spanned over a decade, but those early years with the TNT franchise, then known as the Formula Shell Zoom Masters, were something special. What made Joey stand out wasn't just his scoring ability—though he averaged around 18 points per game during his peak—but his relentless defensive hustle. Watching him play felt like witnessing a masterclass in how defense can dictate the flow of the game, something that resonates deeply with me as someone who's studied basketball strategy for years.
One of my favorite memories was the 1992 PBA All-Filipino Conference finals, where Joey's defensive stops in the fourth quarter turned the tide for TNT. I recall how he'd anticipate passes, disrupt plays, and create fast-break opportunities almost out of thin air. It's exactly what TNT coach Chot Reyes emphasized years later when he said, "In the end, it was our defense that fueled the offense. As long as we are able to generate stops, then we get a lot of possessions for ourselves to score." That philosophy was Joey's bread and butter long before it became a coaching mantra. He wasn't just playing defense for the sake of it; he was building momentum, and you could feel the shift in energy every time he forced a turnover. I've always believed that great defenders like Joey don't get enough credit, but if you look at the stats from that era, his steals and deflections often led to 5-7 extra points per game—a huge margin in tightly contested matches.
What really set Joey apart, though, was his adaptability. I remember analyzing game tapes from the mid-90s and noticing how he'd adjust his positioning based on opponents' schemes. In one particular game against Ginebra, he struggled in the first half because they were double-teaming him on drives. But come halftime, he and the coaching staff made tweaks—similar to what Reyes described about "adjustments at halftime to counter their defensive schemes." Joey started cutting off-ball more, creating space for his teammates, and by the third quarter, he'd already notched three assists and a couple of transition buckets. That ability to read the game and pivot mid-stream is something I wish more players today would emulate. It's not just about raw talent; it's about basketball IQ, and Joey had it in spades.
Of course, no discussion of Joey Marquez would be complete without mentioning his iconic moments in the PBA's "governors' cup" era. I'll never forget his game-winning steal and layup against Alaska in 1995—a play that sealed TNT's playoff berth. He finished with 22 points that night, but it was the intangibles: the leadership, the grit, the way he rallied his team when they were down by 10 in the third quarter. As a fan, those are the moments that stick with you. And as an analyst, I can't help but appreciate how his style prefigured modern "positionless" basketball. He wasn't just a shooting guard; he was a Swiss Army knife on both ends of the floor.
Looking back, Joey's legacy isn't just in the trophies or the highlight reels—though he did help TNT secure at least two championships during his tenure. It's in how he embodied the idea that defense isn't a secondary skill; it's the engine of offense. I've seen countless players focus solely on scoring, but Joey's approach was holistic. He understood that a well-timed stop could demoralize opponents and ignite his own team's rhythm. In today's pace-and-space era, where teams like Golden State have popularized transition offense, it's easy to forget that players like Joey were pioneering this decades ago. His career, which included around 450 games and numerous All-Defensive Team nods, serves as a reminder that the most unforgettable basketball moments often stem from the less glamorous, hard-nosed work on the defensive end. And honestly, that's why I still find myself rewatching his old games—they're a masterclass in fundamentals and heart.