Blades legend Saady to be first consideration in the Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
The Holster Headquarters
23:52
Blades legend Insa Saady could possibly be the very first player to be inducted to the Bacoor Blades Hall of Fame, says team manager TheDogMan.
"We are obviously grateful not only to what he was able to do to the team, but with what he was able to do for the franchise, the community and the city." the Blades top honcho added.
The former Bacoor forward appeared in 65 league games for the franchise, which is well-above the minimum requirement for Hall of Fame consideration of 44 league games, where he normed 22.3 points on 49% shooting, including a 37.2% clip from beyond the three point line, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, all within an average of nearly 43 minutes per contest.
When asked regarding the recent development, the roster was quick to exalt and comment on Saady's contributions
"He was the most complete player to ever wear a Bacoor Blades jersey. He single-handedly carried this team on his shoulders the first two seasons that he was here. It was only on his final year that he actually got more than enough help from the rest of the team. He's a first ballot for me no doubt." said Kelly Paul, who along with skipper Mark Hugos, inherited the captaincy from Saady.
"Heart and Soul namin siya eh. Siya yung identity nung team. Kung paano siya maglaro, malamang sa malamang ganun ang magiging laro namin." said Hugos, who admitted that Saady was a mentor to him both on and off the court.
"Dumating kasi siya sa amin na nag-champion na siya. Kaya marami na siyang karanasan pagdating sa bigtime. Siya yung leader namin at sa kanya talaga kami tumitingala."
"He was the engine - the motor that kept the machine running." said Eladio Martin, who had to play under the shadows of Saady as his backup.
"He can shoot, he can drive to the hole and attract double teams, and when he does get double-teamed, he has a knack to pass the ball at the right person at the right time." the 6'8" Spanish international continued.
"The Princeton ultimately worked because of him." says Iliya Dimov, who was Saady's shooting rival at practice. "We used to challenge ourselves by shooting up to 11. The chances of me winning were always slim to none. And that motivated me until I was able to beat him one time that really boosted my confidence."
"Regardless if he was shooting the ball efficiently or not, regardless if he was scoring a lot or not, other teams always had to check him for he was able to contribute in a number of ways besides scoring." said Tim Puckett.
"I believe that was the key to success of out team back then. The respect level teams give to him is so high. But even so, as I've said, he can help in a lot of ways. That made him special." said Eugenio Genco, who became part of the team at the tail-end of Saady's stint with the Blades.
"We do not want to pre-empt anything. We want to give him this honor at a time when he can truly appreciate it. And the rest of the management believe that this is not yet the time. But for sure, given the fact that he is eligible, we are strongly considering him as our first inductee." said team manager TheDogMan.