Danny I. remembers old friend and 'bridge' Bryan Gahol
The Philippine basketball family mourned the passing of Bryan Gahol on Tuesday. The former PBA player died along with a female companion as their van hit the center barrier of the South Luzon Expressway after being sideswiped by another vehicle.
Current players such as Asi Taulava, Don Allado, Jimmy Alapag, Dorian Pena, Ranidel De Ocampo, and Rafi Reavis all expressed their condolences to Gahol’s family through their social media accounts.
Danny Ildefonso of the Meralco Bolts also expressed his condolences to the family while reminiscing about the good times he shared with his friend.
“May nagtext lang sa akin na naaksidente nga raw siya,” Ildefonso recalled. “Sobrang yupi nga raw yung van na sinasakyan nila e.”
“Hindi ko malilimutan ang kaibigan kong iyan,” Ildefonso said in an interview with Yahoo Philippines. “Nagstart kami magsama sa RP team. Matagal kami nagsama sa isang kwarto kasama ibang players dati sa Pasay.
“Pati nga mga damit na sinusuot namin hiraman kami nun,” he shared with a smile as he remisinced about the good old days, the days when his friend was still hopeful and full of life.
Since Ildefonso and Gahol were the two promdis on the 1995 national youth team, Gahol hailing from Laguna and Ildefonso from Pangasinan, the two were drawn to a close friendship with each other as most of the other players were from Metro Manila.
But for the two-time MVP, Gahol's biggest contribution was acting as a bridge between him and a girl he wanted to court. She would eventually become his wife.
“Hindi ko sya malilimutan kase sya tumulong sa akin na manligaw sa wife ko ngayon,” Ildefonso candidly admitted.
“Dahil hindi ako marunong manligaw noon, siya pinakiusapan ko na tumawag kay Ren. Yun ang naging daan kaya kami nagkatuluyan ng wife ko,” Ildefonso added.
“Kaya salamat sa kanya at mananatili ang mga magagandang alaala niya sa amin.”
Current National University head coach Eric Altamirano also shared his thoughts on his former player’s passing.
“I'm sorry to hear about Bryan,” Altamirano said. “He was one on my best players when I coached the UP Maroons in 1996. And also when I got him to play for me sa Mobiline in his rookie year sa PBA.
“I enjoyed coaching him kasi matapang, mabait, and versatile player. Without him, we could not make it to the Final Four sa UAAP nung 1996,” Altamirano added.
“I am praying that his family remains strong during this time.”
With Gahol anchoring the middle, the Altamirano-coached Fighting Maroons finished third that year, a feat no other UP team has since come close to duplicating.
