Early life
Gaco grew up the eldest of four children. Before he had turned 19, he had lost his father to cancer, and his mother toCollege career
After playing in Palarong Pambansa, Gaco got offers from different universities. He was given an invitation to try out for the UE Red Warriors, but since he did not know where the campus was, he was not able to go. Instead, he played for the PUP Maroons for three years. After graduating college, Gaco still had two more playing years left. He spent his last two years with the De La Salle Green Archers in theSemi-professional career
After going undrafted in 2005, he played for the Harbour Centre franchise in the Philippine Basketball League, where he honed his skills as an enforcer. He won multiple championships in his time there. Gaco also saw action for the Laguna Stallions in the semi-professional Liga Pilipinas regional league.Professional career
Philippine Patriots
Gaco played for the Philippine Patriots in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), winning a championship with them in 2010.Barako Energy Coffee Masters
After his time in the ABL, Gaco entered theMagnolia franchise
Gaco then signed a contract with the B-Meg Derby Aces Llamados. In his sophomore year, he played in the Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game, scoring 19 points in that game. His first PBA championship came in the 2012 Commissioner's Cup. Despite being a bench player, he was seen by fans as the "lucky charm" of the team. These fans called themselves the "Gaconatics", after sportscasterTanduay Rum Masters
After attempts to return to the PBA, Gaco signed with the Tanduay Rum Masters for the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup, who had a two-game losing streak at the time. He had a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds in his winning debut over the Batangas EAC Generals, while his former teammate at Star, Mark Cruz, had 29 points. He became one of the team's leaders as they went on to claim a twice-to-beat advantage. In the quarterfinals, they beat the AMA Titans, with him scoring 16 points. In the semifinals, they lost to the Cignal-San Beda Hawkeyes in three games. Still, he credited his stint with them for helping him gain his confidence back.Go for Gold Scratchers
Gaco, as a veteran role player, helped the young Go for Gold team win the 2018 PBA D-League Foundation Cup over the Che Lu Bar and Grill Revellers.Imus Bandera
While Gaco was playing for Go for Gold in the D-League, he also played for Imus Bandera, starting from the 2018 Datu Cup. He was originally supposed to play for the Manila Stars, but they cut him before final rosters were submitted.Pasig Pirates
Gaco was then placed into the dispersal draft, where he was picked first by the Pasig Pirates.Nueva Ecija MiGuard
Gaco then played for the debuting Nueva Ecija MiGuard in the 2019 Lakandula Cup. In his first game for them, he had 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. He played seven games for them in the 2020 Lakan Cup before he and the team mutually agreed to part ways.Davao Occidental Tigers
As a free agent, Gaco signed with the Davao Occidental Tigers. At 40 years old, he added another championship to his collection when the Tigers defeated the San Juan Knights in the finals of the 2020 MPBL Lakan Cup. Before the following season, he, along with eight other players, were cut from the team.JPS Zamboanga City Valientes
In the 1st conference of the VisMin Super Cup, Gaco joined the Zamboanga City JPS. He had a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds in a win over the MisOr Brew AuthoriTea. He made that conference's Mythical Team, along with Hesed Gabo, Michael Mabulac, James Castro, and John Wilson.Davao Occidental Tigers / Davao Pilipinas
Gaco rejoined the team for the FilBasket Subic Championship. That team made it to the semifinals. The Tigers then moved to the PSL. He only played one game for them in the first conference. Davao won the conference championship, giving him his 17th championship overall. He was set to play for them once again as the rebranded Davao Pilipinas were originally picked to represent the Philippines in the ABL. However, those plans fell through and the Zamboanga Valientes became the new Philippine representatives for the ABL.Personal life
A single parent, Gaco has two daughters. He also invests in condominium units, and promotes small-time local businesses on his social media accounts.PBA career statistics
Season-by-season averages
, - , align=left , , align="left" , Barako Energy Coffee Masters , 15 , , 13.9 , , .536 , , .000 , , .541 , , 3.5 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , align=left , , align="left" rowspan="6" , B-Meg / San Mig Coffee / Purefoods / Star , 40 , , 12.1 , , .531 , , .000 , , .512 , , 3.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 4.0 , - , align=left , , 14 , , 5.0 , , .375 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , align=left , , 24 , , 5.7 , , .448 , , .000 , , .462 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , align=left , , 20 , , 4.4 , , .524 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.4 , - , align=left , , 7 , , 3.6 , , .500 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.9 , - , align=left , , 4 , , 1.8 , , .000 , , .000 , , .150 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 124 , , 8.2 , , .510 , , .000 , , .519 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.7Notes
References
External links