Nationality Filipino Number 12, 13 Height 1.91 m Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight 85 kg | Listed weight 188 lb (85 kg) Name Elpidio Villamin Pro career 1981–1998 Role Basketball Player | |
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Elpidio "Yoyoy" Villamin (born November 7, 1958 in Labo, Camarines Norte, Philippines), is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Standing 6'3" on a muscular frame, Yoyoy got his nickname because of Filipino singer-comedian Yoyoy Villame as their surnames sounds exactly the same. In the PBA, however, Villamin earned the moniker "Bicolano Superman" because of his strength and ability to dominate on both ends of the court. He played for Solid Mills and later, Asia Pacific Finance Corporation (APCOR) in the MICAA, where he distinguished himself as a valuable "utility man" for being a very good defensive guard, a driving forward and a high-leaping center.
PBA career
Villamin was one of the five players recruited by the Crispa Redmanizers during the final conference of the 1981 PBA season. In 1983, he was Crispa's leading offensive rebounder in the All-Filipino while finishing the conference third overall in rebounds. After five seasons, Yoyoy became the fourth player in the PBA "Protected-list", meaning he cannot be played alongside top centers Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben and Manny Victorino on the same team. In his first season with Hills Bros Coffee Kings in 1987, Villamin finished second in the MVP race to Abet Guidaben, the eventual MVP winner, but his performance merited the award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) and Sports Columnists Organization of the Philippines (SCOOP) as their Most Outstanding Pro player of the year in 1987. It was also during this phenomenal season that Villamin came to be known as the other half of Alaska's twin-tower combination known as the "Bruise Brothers" alongside another tough defensive big man Ricky Relosa.
A knee injury slowed him down in later years, starting with his stint with Diet Sarsi, after Alaska dropped him from their lineup beginning the 1991 season, and opted for younger players in a major revamp. He played his final year in the PBA at age 40, one of the very few players to play in the pro league in their 40s, and briefly saw action in the Metropolitan Basketball Association for the Iloilo Megavoltz along with Joey Mente, Vince Hizon, Dong Polistico, Jojo Lim, Dominic Uy and other.