Here's one for the Thankless

(from my column Bleachers' Brew that appeared in the September 10, 2007 issue of the Business Mirror's sports section)


Here’s one for the Thankless
(Or Hail to the Coach!)
by rick olivares


SONNY PAGUIA
When I was in school, I had for neighbors former Ateneo Blue Eagle Boogie Pamintuan (from the 1958 & 61 NCAA champs and who passed away several ears ago), the late NU Bulldogs mentor Sonny Paguia (God bless his soul), and then-San Miguel Beermen rookie Bong Ravena. We all hung out in Tito Sonny’s carinderia where I listened to the old warhorses swap tales of hardcourt glory. Once in awhile, Tito Sonny would bring his team over for dinner (where their menudo was the house fave) after a game at the Loyola Center (now called Blue Eagle Gym) where most of the UAAP games were then held.

Tito Sonny actually went to Ateneo De Davao where he was a teammate of Lito Banggoy and Bonnie Carbonell who both later suited up for San Beda Red after a brouhaha with Jesuit priest in Loyola Heights. At that time, NU’s only legit player was its hulking yet clumsy center Cris Bolado. But this did not deter Tito Sonny from believing that he could pull an upset or two. He nearly did one time against DLSU but the B-Dogs squandered a four-point lead with less than a minute left. In 1989, when the back-to-back champion Blue Eagles lost a lot of their players to graduation and to injury, the long-time NU coach figured he could finally end the drought against his “brother alma mater.” But Ateneo still had enough firepower to hold off the Bulldogs. As I recall it -- if NU was to win that game the players were to be feted an eat-all-you-can menudo-fest. And I remember Tito Sonny fuming as his team bungled several plays in the dying minutes. After the match, Jumbo Bolado asked if the team was going to have dinner. An angry Tito Sonny grunted and said, “No menudo!” Everyone laughed so hard that coach eventually broke into a smile and caved in to everyone’s hunger pangs.

I loved talking to Tito Sonny and would ask him about the nuances of the game and other hoops-related stuff. The last time I really spoke with him at length about b-ball was that great national team of Marlou Aquino, Zandro Limpot, Bong Ravena, and team skipper Nonoy Chuatico won the 1991 SEA Games championship against Thailand. We were outside the dugout of the home team where he recounted to me an era when we were the dominant hoops force in Asia. That gold medal game was played to a packed Araneta Coliseum and I remember waving a huge Philippine flag from the Upper B Section. After that, my family moved zip codes so I only saw Tito Sonny during UAAP matches.

JOE LIPA
I first met Joe Lipa the summer of LA Tenorio’s rookie year in Ateneo. The whole team attended the birthday party of my nephew Gabby Messina who was the team’s mascot in 2001. I had followed Da Nose’s career from UP all the way to the national team and to Shell in the pros. When he was introduced during the annual homecoming of 1998 as the Blue Eagles’ new mentor, I felt it was as if we had won another title. Of course we all know that the team eventually fell short as they lost to DLSU in 2001.

Right before that heartbreaking series loss, there was much speculation that Coach Joe was to be replaced as a growing number of alumni were disenchanted by a pair of final four losses and an inability to hurdle La Salle. Although he isn’t from Loyola, people also expected him to raise his arm during the singing of the alma mater. While I understood why he didn’t, I did wish he would do it as a sign of respect and solidarity to his boys. The only time he did it was after 2001’s Game Three with Tenorio crying on his shoulder. In spite of that painful loss, I felt proud of my school and coach.

I maintained my friendship with the coach and followed his adventures back in the pros with Fed Ex and later as UAAP Head of Officiating. When he went back to the sidelines at the State U, I wondered if he could still conjure some of that magic of his.

Instead, after a promising season 69, his team is in a downward spiral that is shocking at the very least. Although I never pegged them to win the title this year, I thought they’d compete. Instead, after their third straight defeat, the air just went out of this team. The fight is definitely out of these young Maroons. Woody Co is this year’s Nestor David while Migs De Asis and Martin Reyes, the shooting stars of last year have been duds. And there’s been malicious talk of point shaving by some players. And some say that the early injury to Magi Sison or even the relative youngness of the team has much to do with it. I don’t agree completely. If Sison’s game is any indication, he’d rather jack up threes and stay in the perimeter. So any talk of an inside presence is well, misplaced. But next year, he could be a force.

Only there might not be a next year for the beleaguered Lipa. Forces are moving to oust him. I understand that next year is UP’s centenary. And basketball among many other endeavors is an area where they’d like to have a decent showing.

A few years ago before Lipa settled back in, not a few candidates were iffy about taking the job. Too young a team – a recipe for disaster that may not look good on one’s resume, they thought. But the coach had the guts to take it knowing fully well he’ll be taking an uppercut to the chin. Yes, I agree there might be some slippage. Why aren’t screens run for De Asis or Reyes? Why is not Veejay Serios asked to break the press when the other players are more susceptible to errors?

But you gotta have faith in Lipa (hmm not getting religious now am I). After Ateneo’s title run in 2002, Joel Banal paid tribute to the man who put the whole thing together. That’s respect. If people feel the coach needs to be replaced before his contract is up then it should be brought straight to the man. Not the backroom scheming that some are doing. He deserves better than that. Besides what have they contributed? If he needs to be replaced, do it after the season. For now, support what there is. They badly need it now.

As the US Marines like to say, semper fi. And to think I’m not even from UP.



PHIL JACKSON
Incredibly even when one is winning he still doesn’t get any respect. Phil Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame the other day and some still claim all he had to do was sit down on his way to 12 championships (six with the Chicago Bulls, three with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the New York Knicks although he sat out one of them due to an injury, and one with the CBA’s Albany Patroons). Well, didn’t Red Auerbach win nine too with a bunch of Hall of Famers? And these are the same people who said that teams need a dominant center to win. If you watched the 1993-94 NBA season, the Bulls came within one blown foul call by Hue Hollins that prevented Chicago from going to the Eastern Conference finals for the fifth straight year. The three-time champs didn’t miss a beat as they lost only one less game than when they had His Airness around. And that year Chicago had three All-Stars in BJ Armstrong, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. They never had the same number before or since. Now that in my honest opinion was Phil Jax’ best coaching year ever.

JING RUIZ
Lastly, why is Jing Ruiz still referred to as the assistant coach of the Adamson Falcons? We all know it’s him calling the shots not Bogs Adornado. But you have to hand it to these Falcons and coach Jing. They may have another letdown of a season, but they still play plenty tough much to the delight of their never-say-die supporters like Hector Tabuzo. Good luck to Roel Hugnatan (who idolizes Tim Duncan and looks forward to playing with his brother Rey over at Alaska) and Patrick Cabahug who will both be turning pro given the chance.