THE sight of LA Tenorio going up the stage at the Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay last Sunday night, not as a player—but Magnolia’s new coach—looked eerie.
But it’s the reality—the former Ginebra veteran star and Gilas Pilipinas playmaker has called it a career as a cager and the PBA rookie Draft marked a new chapter in Tenorio’s life.
“Iyong players na talagang tiningnan ko before the draft, sila iyong feel namin na possible talagang mapunta at makatulong sa amin,” Tenorio said. “Okay naman. Kilala ko naman iyong mga players ng Magnolia at kilala naman nila ako, and the good thing about Magnolia is they are willing to learn and they are very hard working.
“It’s a good composition of veterans and young players, and the good thing about our team is we’re hungry. Matagal na silang hindi nakakatikim ng championship, so I think, kahit naman sinong coach iyong mapunta dito, makikita iyong hunger nila,” he added.
The Hotshots went for former San Beda University forward Yukien Andrada with the sixth pick overall in the first round before choosing Gab Gomez (third round), and Joshua Yerro (fourth round).
Tenorio turned nostalgic when reminded by the fact that he once donned a Magnolia jersey early in his career when San Miguel Beer, which selected him No. 4 in the 2006 Draft, carried the banner of the Magnolia Beverage Masters in his first two years in the pro league.
“Bilog lang talaga ang mundo, maliit lang talaga iyong mundo ng basketball, so I’m just happy with the opportunity. Ang daming puwede na coaches dito, pero there is a purpose kung bakit ako nandito,” Tenorio said. “I’m still the same LA when I was a player: competitive. It’s still a weird feeling, but one thing that I’ve learned with Ginebra is the ‘Never Say Die’ spirit, so ibibigay ko rin iyon sa team namin.
“It’s a weird situation, that mantra is for Ginebra, but in reality, ganoon talaga, you should remain resilient all the time. Of course, kapag matagal-tagal na, gusto na naming manalo, pero this is not a sprint but a marathon.”
One of the keys as Tenorio begins his coaching career should be trusting the process.
“Given this opportunity, I will not take this for granted. It’s a tough job to do, but I’m excited to do something special with this team. Isa sa mga natutunan ko, winning is not everything,” he said.
“Nakakuha ka nga ng panalo, pero hindi mo naman nakuha iyong pinaka goal mo, so for me, as a new coach, we just have to be patient and trust the process.”
