WHILE there were hints at a possible career move for Ginebra veteran playmaker LA Tenorio after his team’s semifinals exit in the last PBA Philippine Cup, San Miguel Corporation’s decision to name him new Magnolia coach, vice Chito Victolero, stunned the pro league.
At 41, Tenorio still has a lot of gas left in his tank but the opportunity to prove his worth as a tactician and help a title-less ballclub in the last seven years to regain lost glory is simply too much to pass up.
“This was planned a month ago or a week ago, talking to LA, biniro ko siya after winning the gold sa SEABA, I said puwede ka na. Doon nag-umpisa iyon. Everybody knows he’s a very intelligent guy, very smart, a team leader,” SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua said last Monday night.
“We’re not expecting that much, bago pa lang si LA. But for sure, he’ll be good as a head coach. Pero ang daming nagtatanong, baka bata pa, sabi ko hindi na bata, 40 (years old) na, hindi na maglalaro.
“He was excited when I called him. Sabi ko naka-decide na kami na magko-coach siya sa Magnolia,” he added.
Tenorio, the 5-foot-9 wily floor general and an eight-time champion with the Kings, with a stop with the defunct Alaska franchise, also comes full circle with the SMC Group.
The former Ateneo and Gilas Pilipinas standout was tabbed No. 4 overall by San Miguel Beer in the 2006 Draft before suiting up for the Aces from 2008-2012.
Tenorio was reunited with his former Alaska coach, Tim Cone, in 2015 at the Kings’ camp, where they battled the Hotshots in the “Manila Clasico” numerous times.
It will not be the same again.
“Actually, I was totally shocked noong narinig ko. Hindi ko alam (sasabihin or mararamdaman ko) kasi sa pag-transition ko sa PBA, si kuya LA iyong nag-guide sa akin,” former MVP and Tenorio’s long-time teammate Scottie Thompson said. “Nitong mga huling laro, actually, sinasabi niya akin na sana mabigyan pa namin siya ng isang championship.
“Nakakalungkot, pero at the same time, masaya ako for him kasi another opportunity for him.”
The Kings fell to the Beermen in the semis in seven grueling games highlighted by Tenorio’s heroics in Game 6 earlier this month.
That proved to be Tenorio’s last hurrah with Ginebra, and the Kings’ duel with the Hotshots in the 50th season should be bittersweet.
“Noong mga last games namin, we saw it coming kasi mino-motivate niya kami na: ‘Sana makuha natin ito,’ na sana makapag-finals kami kasi we’ll never know kung hanggang kailan pa siya sa Ginebra,” Thompson said. “Sayang, hindi namin naibigay iyong magandang exit last conference.
“For sure, hindi kami sanay na nandoon siya sa kabila. But ganoon talaga ang buhay dito sa PBA, we just have to keep on moving forward.”
