Last Hoorah For Mr. Fast

One of the most celebrated tandems in the Philippine Basketall Association is breaking up this season. Jayjay Helterbrand announced before the start of the season that he will be retiring. It can be recalled that the 2009 MVP already planned to retire as early as 2011 but he deferred the plan to have another run for one last championship. But it looks like Jayjay is firm on his retirement plans this year.

His shot of winning another title on his last year is bright now that Tim Cone, the winningest coach in the league, is at the helm of Ginebra. Winner of four championships, a fifth title has remained elusive for Helterbrand since 2008, the last time they won a championship.

Anthony Helterbrand came over from the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association. He played one game for the Batangas Blades before hooking up with Ginebra in March 2000. He came in as a direct hire as a backup for Bal David and to eventually take over as starting point guard.

Jayjay rose to prominence in the year 2001 when he partnered with then rookie Mark Caguioa. Their explosive backcourt partnership earned them the monicker "Bandanna Brothers" because of the headbands they wore. Eventually they became "The Fast" and "The Furious." That year, Caguioa won Rookie of the Year honors and the two established themselves as one of the deadliest backcourt partners in the league.

In 2004, Jayjay came back to the PBA after a one-year hiatus. He was instrumental in Ginebra's back-to-back titles that year and in 2005 earning him the Comeback Player of the Year award. Five years later, he won the highest individual award-- the Most Valuable Player.

Injuries have slowed down Jayjay over the years. From career high numbers of 18.11 ppg, 6.51  apg, 4.71 rpg during his MVP years, Mr. Fast saw his averages dip in the next few years. Las year, he logged career low numbers of just 2.8 ppg, 1.7 apg, and 1.6 rpg. He also saw limited minutes just 12 mpg from 36 minutes during his heydays.

Age is catching up with Helterbrand. Now 38 years old, Father time is beckoning him. With the influx of younger and quicker players to the team, Jayjay has lost his spot in the rotation. But mind you, the man individually known as "Helter Skelter" can still deliver when called upon. Who can ever forget the 13 points he delivered in Game 1 of their do-or-die series with Rain or Shine during the 2013 Commissioner's Cup? What about his buzzer beating shot against Petron over the outstretched arms of Nick Fazekas?

So it will be the Last Ride for Jayjay Helterbrand and the "Fast and Furious: tandem. With Coach Tim Cone taking over the reins, Jayjay has three more chances to finally win another one before drawing down the curtains on his PBA career.