Sometimes people mistake him as the Magician, maybe because of the similarity of their mustache or their charismatic smile. One thing is for sure, in the basketball community, he is well know as the unconventional coach. For one, he doesn’t use a coaching board for his x’s and o’s. I know what you are thinking- unbelievable! Is that possible? How does he do it?
Well, his explanation, “Lahat ng pwedeng mangyari sa basketball game, ginagawa natin sa practices, kaya importante that we prepare our players in all possible scenarios, para pagdating sa laro, alam na nila ang dapat gawin”. This is the reason why during game time (even televised), you would see him giving instruction using his hands and fingers while other coaches use their coaching boards. This has been his trademark. Don’t let this fool you, as his team, whether in the Seniors or Juniors division had been in the final four or in the finals during his time as head coach. His secret, a very hard and competitive practices. One of the things he hates most is when a player is requesting for a substitution because of exhaustion. “Nasa loob ka ng game, magpapalabas ka? Yon ibang players naghihintay pumasok, ikaw gusto mong lumabas? Kaya husayan mo sa ensayo para buong game kaya mong tapusin” This is how much he put emphasis on practices, one more quote that I will never forget - “Utang niyo lang sa ensayo ang husay niyo, subukan niyong wag mag practice, mawawala ang husay nyo!”
Coach Boy may be unconventional yet he brings out the best in his players, some of whom are record makers - Keith Agovida scored 82pts in a game, this was broken the following year by Joshua Saret with 89pts (quadruple double). He also produced NCAA MVPs Nani Epondulan, Keith Agovida and Louie Vigil.
Asked if he has any regrets, “Ang record na gusto ko sana makuha ay ang mag champion ng di gumagamit ng board eh! haha”. Maybe he would have won if he did, then maybe not, but what I am sure of, his unconventional way of coaching will be his legacy, and we love it!
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