Little Brother the King-maker
March 20, 2004 | 12:00am
Bethune Tanquingcen was always underestimated. Barely scraping five feet, seven inches tall, he was always told he was too small. Even his nickname, Siot, meaning "little brother" ("siao ti" in Mandarin or "sioti" in Fookien) is a reminder.
But Siot always made it a point to play big. He played for the University of Santo Tomas in the early 1990s at the height of their strength, and was even selected to the mens basketball team to the 1993 Southeast Asian Games. And just when people thought he was at the end of his rope, he tied another one on and climbed up to the PBA, where he enjoyed the good graces of San Miguel Beer. He spent much time on the bench, but that was where he matriculated, eventually winding up a valued assistant to Jong Uichico.
Last Tuesday, Tanquingcen received a phone call that changed his life. He was being appointed the new head coach of Ginebra San Miguel, stepping into the place of Allan Caidic, who has been moved to team manager. At 32, the former Glowing Goldie is one of the youngest coaches in the PBA, and is currently the smallest. And though hes dreamed of this moment, hes also the one most surprised by his turn of fortune.
"Its mixture of excitement and anxiety," he begins. "Anxiety, because its no secret that Ginebra is the most popular team. There are high expectations for this team. Thats where the anxiety comes in, because, in a way, you dont want to disappoint the millions of fans of Ginebra. Excitement because, basically, its everybodys dream to get results in whatever youre doing."
The circumstances are far from ideal, though. The Gin Kings have not won a championship since the mid-1990s, and have had a losing record the past three years, despite their supposed strength on paper. And Tanquingcens first test is the hard-nosed Red Bull Barako squad, tonight.
"Immediate goals right now? You cant change everything right away. And I dont plan on changing things on such a short notice," he admits. "I dont think we have any philosophical differences with Coach Allans style. We were under Coach Ron (Jacobs), under Coach Jong; we have the same basic principles on certain stuff. But it doesnt mean that since I came from San Miguel, that everythings going to be just like a carbon copy of San Miguel. I have to decide what works for Ginebra. What works best for San Miguel might not work out well for Ginebra."
Tanquingcen demurs when asked about Barangay Ginebras past failings, saying he doesnt know the players that well on a personal level. But he will say what he plans to work on.
"I think it all boils down to defense. Even if you score a lot of points, but youre not able to slow down the other team, its useless. Im not saying this team is a bad defensive team, but thats one spot where they could improve more. Actually, theyre a pretty good defensive team."
One thing that Ginebra was always known for was its relentless will to run.
The picture most vivid in peoples minds is the herd of Sonny Jaworski, Rudy Distrito, Dante Gonzalgo, Chito Loyzaga and high-scoring imports like Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett thundering up the court for blindingly fast and easy baskets. Being a point guard himself, will Tanquingcen bring back that character to the leagues darling?
"I think thats what the personnel entails. Theyve got the tools, the material for that. But the only thing I want to add is not to let the guys run for the sake of running, letting them loose for the sake of letting them loose. You just have to put a bit of structure in the way they run. Theyve got good quick guards, good quick big men. But a quick player running without direction isnt as good as a slower player running with efficiency."
Even though he breathes the scientific know-how of his mentors, the long-time scout and assistant knows that, ultimately, it will be his imprimatur that will guide Barangay Ginebra to its hoped-for renaissance. And, strangely enough, underlying all that knowledge is the grit that got him here in the first place.
"My personality. A team is always a reflection of their coachs personality.
Thats basically the way it is. And somehow, I think I fit well with this team because I was always trying to prove myself.
They always told me I was too small to play college basketball, so I always had to prove myself. When I finished college, I was always too small to play pro ball. So I had to prove that I could play. I would want that attitude to be reflective of the team. Even if you think the odds are against you, it doesnt mean that you just lay down and give up."
Sounds just like Ginebra to me.
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But Siot always made it a point to play big. He played for the University of Santo Tomas in the early 1990s at the height of their strength, and was even selected to the mens basketball team to the 1993 Southeast Asian Games. And just when people thought he was at the end of his rope, he tied another one on and climbed up to the PBA, where he enjoyed the good graces of San Miguel Beer. He spent much time on the bench, but that was where he matriculated, eventually winding up a valued assistant to Jong Uichico.
Last Tuesday, Tanquingcen received a phone call that changed his life. He was being appointed the new head coach of Ginebra San Miguel, stepping into the place of Allan Caidic, who has been moved to team manager. At 32, the former Glowing Goldie is one of the youngest coaches in the PBA, and is currently the smallest. And though hes dreamed of this moment, hes also the one most surprised by his turn of fortune.
"Its mixture of excitement and anxiety," he begins. "Anxiety, because its no secret that Ginebra is the most popular team. There are high expectations for this team. Thats where the anxiety comes in, because, in a way, you dont want to disappoint the millions of fans of Ginebra. Excitement because, basically, its everybodys dream to get results in whatever youre doing."
The circumstances are far from ideal, though. The Gin Kings have not won a championship since the mid-1990s, and have had a losing record the past three years, despite their supposed strength on paper. And Tanquingcens first test is the hard-nosed Red Bull Barako squad, tonight.
"Immediate goals right now? You cant change everything right away. And I dont plan on changing things on such a short notice," he admits. "I dont think we have any philosophical differences with Coach Allans style. We were under Coach Ron (Jacobs), under Coach Jong; we have the same basic principles on certain stuff. But it doesnt mean that since I came from San Miguel, that everythings going to be just like a carbon copy of San Miguel. I have to decide what works for Ginebra. What works best for San Miguel might not work out well for Ginebra."
Tanquingcen demurs when asked about Barangay Ginebras past failings, saying he doesnt know the players that well on a personal level. But he will say what he plans to work on.
"I think it all boils down to defense. Even if you score a lot of points, but youre not able to slow down the other team, its useless. Im not saying this team is a bad defensive team, but thats one spot where they could improve more. Actually, theyre a pretty good defensive team."
One thing that Ginebra was always known for was its relentless will to run.
The picture most vivid in peoples minds is the herd of Sonny Jaworski, Rudy Distrito, Dante Gonzalgo, Chito Loyzaga and high-scoring imports like Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett thundering up the court for blindingly fast and easy baskets. Being a point guard himself, will Tanquingcen bring back that character to the leagues darling?
"I think thats what the personnel entails. Theyve got the tools, the material for that. But the only thing I want to add is not to let the guys run for the sake of running, letting them loose for the sake of letting them loose. You just have to put a bit of structure in the way they run. Theyve got good quick guards, good quick big men. But a quick player running without direction isnt as good as a slower player running with efficiency."
Even though he breathes the scientific know-how of his mentors, the long-time scout and assistant knows that, ultimately, it will be his imprimatur that will guide Barangay Ginebra to its hoped-for renaissance. And, strangely enough, underlying all that knowledge is the grit that got him here in the first place.
"My personality. A team is always a reflection of their coachs personality.
Thats basically the way it is. And somehow, I think I fit well with this team because I was always trying to prove myself.
They always told me I was too small to play college basketball, so I always had to prove myself. When I finished college, I was always too small to play pro ball. So I had to prove that I could play. I would want that attitude to be reflective of the team. Even if you think the odds are against you, it doesnt mean that you just lay down and give up."
Sounds just like Ginebra to me.
The Basketball Show is brought to you by the new Nissan Sentra, adidas, V-Fresh and Red Horse Extra Strong Beer.
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