Rafael Hechanova

Rafael Hechanova gained attention for his basketball talents in the aftermath of World War II as a player on the University of Santo Tomas’ squad, a university where he was also involved in volleyball and golf. It was in basketball, however, that he won the intercollegiate and Philippine national titles in 1951, as well as the gold medal at that year’s Asian Games. He went on to defend the latter title in 1954 and, in-between, represented his country at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. There, the Philippine squad was eliminated in round one.

Hechanova was considered for the 1954 World Championship team, but retired from active competition in order to pursue his career as an architect. Nonetheless, he remained active in the administration of the sport, holding roles with the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Olympians Association, which he also helped found. In 2000, he was inducted into the country’s National Basketball Hall of Fame.