View source for Gec Chia

{{short description|Filipino basketball player}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| image = Gec Chia (cropped).jpg
| caption = Chia in 2007
| name = Gec Chia
| number          = 
| position        = [[Point guard]] / [[shooting guard]]
| league          = 
| team            = 
| nationality     = Filipino
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1979|8|19}}
| birth_place     = [[Zamboanga City]], [[Philippines]]
| height_ft       = 6 | height_in = 2
| weight_lbs      = 185
| high_school     = St. Joseph's ([[Zamboanga City]])
| college         = [[Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball team|Ateneo]]
| draft_year_pba  = 2003
| draft_round_pba = 3
| draft_pick_pba  = 28
| draft_team_pba  = [[Coca-Cola Tigers]]
| career_start    = 2003
| career_end     =2011
| years1 = 2003–2005
| team1  = [[Powerade Tigers|Coca-Cola Tigers]]
| years2 = 2005–2006
| team2  = [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Barangay Ginebra Kings]]
| years3 = 2006–2007
| team3  = [[Barako Bull Energy|Air21 Express]]
| years4 = 2008–2009
| team4  =  [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters]]
| years5 = 2009–2010
| team5  =  [[Barako Bull Energy Boosters]]
| awards    =
* 2× [[List of Philippine Basketball Association champions|PBA champion]] ([[2003 PBA Reinforced Conference finals|2003 Reinforced]], [[2008–09 PBA Philippine Cup finals|2008–09 Philippine]])
* [[UAAP Basketball Championship|UAAP champion]] ([[UAAP Season 65 men's basketball tournament|2002]])
}}

'''George Christian T. Chia''' (born August 19, 1979), better known as '''Gec Chia''', is a [[Filipino people|Filipino]] business executive and former professional basketball player.

==Amateur career==
Chia initially wanted to play tennis, but due to the growing popularity of basketball in Zamboanga, he started to play for St. Joseph High School. He went on to represent Zamboanga in the Palarong Pambansa. Despite being a high-school standout, he was not recruited by any Metro Manila programs.

Chia went on to major in computer science in [[Ateneo de Manila University]], where he was an intramurals legend for the CERSA team in the [[intramurals]]. He was noticed by then-coach [[Joe Lipa]] and was added to the Blue Eagles roster in the [[UAAP Season 64|2001 season]]. He rode the bench, substituting for players such as [[LA Tenorio]] and [[Wesley Gonzales]]. He played three games and scored a grand total of 10 points throughout the 2001 season. With Ateneo failing to win the finals, Ateneo fired Lipa and hired former [[Mapúa Cardinals]] coach [[Joel Banal]].<ref name="2001 Semifinals">{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Eroa |title=Dream showdown: It's Ateneo vs La Salle in UAAP finals |date=September 23, 2002 |work=Inquirer News Service |publisher=INQ7.net |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021202010729/http://www.inq7.net/spo/2002/sep/23/spo_1-1.htm |url=http://www.inq7.net/spo/2002/sep/23/spo_1-1.htm |archivedate=December 2, 2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Blue Eagles advanced to the playoffs in [[UAAP Season 65 men's basketball tournament|2002]] as the third seed after beating the [[Ateneo-La Salle rivalry|rival]]  [[De La Salle Green Archers]] in the end of the elimination round denying them of a 14&ndash;0 sweep. As the third seed, Ateneo had to beat #2 seed [[UE Red Warriors]] twice in the semifinals in order to advance to the finals. [[LA Tenorio]], who had just returned from an injury, led the Eagles to a Game 1 triumph to set a winner-take-all game to face La Salle who had just eliminated the [[UST Growling Tigers]].<ref name="2001 Semifinals"/>

With 7.8 seconds left in Game 2, and the score tied at 70&ndash;all, UE player [[Paul Artadi]] turned over the ball. Tenorio raced towards the other end of the court but was well covered by the bigger [[James Yap]]. Tenorio passed the ball to Chia, who shook off [[Ronald Tubid]], and made the shot over the outstretched hands of Olan Omiping. The shot brought Banal to his knees and he later described the shot as "a miracle."<ref name="2001 Semifinals"/>

In the finals, Chia scored 5 points in a game 1 win,<ref>{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Eroa |title=Avenging Eagles fly high, claw out Green Archers |date=September 27, 2002 |work=Inquirer News Service |publisher=INQ7.net |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021206100302/http://www.inq7.net/spo/2002/sep/27/spo_1-1.htm |archivedate=December 6, 2002 |url=http://www.inq7.net/spo/2002/sep/27/spo_1-1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> fouled out with 4 points in a game 2 loss, and 11 points in Ateneo's title-clinching game 3 win.

==Professional career==
Chia was selected twenty-eighth overall in the [[2003 PBA draft]] by the [[Coca-Cola Tigers]]. He was later signed by the [[Barangay Ginebra Kings]], and was part of the [[2008-09 PBA Philippine Cup]] [[Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters]] champion team. He then became a free agent, eventually being signed by the Barako Bull Energy Boosters early in the 2009-10 KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.

==Life after basketball==
Chia is currently the managing director of Poliform, a company that produces high-end Italian modular home line in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jambora|first1=Anne|title=Former college basketball star brings his game to the furniture business|url=http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/155772/former-college-basketball-star-brings-his-game-to-the-furniture-business|website=www.inquirer.net|date=April 2014|publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer|accessdate=July 9, 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pba.ph/roster/player.php?&playerid=64&playername=Gec%20Chia Gec Chia] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20121208072235/http://www.pba.ph/ PBA.ph]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7keraEtBds Gec Chia's buzzer-beater in the 2002 UAAP semifinals]

{{Ateneo Blue Eagles 2002-2003 UAAP Men's Senior Basketball Champions}}
{{Coca-Cola Tigers 2003 PBA Reinforced Conference Champions}}
{{Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters 2008-09 PBA Philippine Cup Champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chia, Gec}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Zamboanga City]]
[[Category:Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Filipino men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:Powerade Tigers players]]
[[Category:Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players]]
[[Category:TNT Tropang 5G players]]
[[Category:Barako Bull Energy Boosters players]]
[[Category:Powerade Tigers draft picks]]