CURTAIN CALL | JVEE CASIO
- Syd Salazar
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read

At his peak, JV Casio was once seen as one of the rising stars of the PBA. Selected first overall in the 2011 Draft by the Powerade Tigers, he entered a class that also featured Paul Lee, Allein Maliksi, and former Smart-Gilas teammates Mark Barroca, Marcio Lassiter, and Chris Lutz.
While Chris Tiu was the main point guard for Smart-Gilas, Casio was his top backup, and there were stretches when Rajko Toroman entrusted him with closing games. That role was not new to him—he had already proven his clutch abilities in college, where he won Finals MVP for DLSU in UAAP Season 70.
Casio wasted no time making an impact in the pros. In his very first conference, he teamed up with Gary David and Lassiter to carry the eighth-seeded Powerade Tigers all the way to the 2011–12 Philippine Cup Finals. Unfortunately, Powerade’s franchise was sold to GlobalPort shortly after, and Casio was shipped to Alaska. There, he stepped in as the Aces’ main playmaker, filling the role vacated by LA Tenorio after a multi-team trade.
For almost a decade, Casio was Alaska’s steady floor general.
He was reliable, smart, and often unselfish.
Yet, it is hard to say that he completely lived up to the lofty expectations that came with being the number one overall pick.
That draft boiled down to him versus Paul Lee, and Powerade ultimately leaned on Casio’s Smart-Gilas pedigree, where he was ranked above Barroca in the rotation. In hindsight, Lee emerged as the superior scorer, Barroca piled up championships and Mythical Team nods, and Lassiter became one of the league’s premier shooters. Even Allein Maliksi has now surpassed Casio in titles, All-Star appearances, and scoring averages.
Casio’s career resume is modest compared to his peers: one championship, one All-Star nod, zero Mythical Team selections, and two Sportsmanship Awards. That is not a poor career by any means, but when stacked against contemporaries like Lee, Barroca, Jayson Castro, LA Tenorio, Alex Cabagnot, Stanley Pringle, Terrence Romeo, and Scottie Thompson, Casio often got overshadowed.
Still, he was far from a journeyman. Casio suited up for only three teams and spent most of his prime with Alaska, guiding the Aces to six Finals appearances, including their title run in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup. His teams were never the dynastic Alaska squads of the '90s, but they remained competitive with him at the helm. If there is a knock, it is that Casio rarely asserted himself offensively. In 13 seasons, he attempted double-digit field goals in only two years, both early in his career. Starting his PBA journey at age 25 might have also limited his long-term ceiling, although plenty of players today enter the league at the same age or older.
That is why JV Casio is such a tricky player to assess. He is by far not a bust, but he is also on the latter part in terms of being among the very best guards of his generation. He will certainly make Alaska’s list of top players for his contributions, and his role in six Finals appearances should not be overlooked.
The league often celebrates Mythical Team awardees, but Casio’s consistency and leadership deserve recognition in their own right.
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