Next month, Gilas Pilipinas Youth will face the region’s best players in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association U16 Championship in Pampanga. The team will be coached by LA Tenorio — a professional player who puts a premium on hard work, discipline and the ability to bounce back from life’s biggest challenges.

Being on top of the national youth program seems poetic for Tenorio. What he has is not just coaching chops and winning experience but a very beautiful story of resurrection that was centered on faith and the will to survive.

If we want to know how he did it, we have to go back two years ago when he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer — heartbreaking news that put him in a serious battle, not for a basketball title, but for his dear life.

Tenorio has a high-profile basketball career. In fact, he is one of the most beloved players for the most popular team in the country in Barangay Ginebra.

Fans love him as most of them can easily relate to his style of play due to his 5-foot-9 frame. He worked his way up from the streets of Nasugbu, Batangas all the way to Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati and San Beda College in Manila.

Eventually, he played for Norman Black at Ateneo de Manila University, where he became a playmaking sensation in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. Then, he entered the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as the fourth overall pick of San Miguel Beer in the 2006 draft before joining Alaska in 2008 and landing at Ginebra in 2012.

With the Kings, his star power grew. Tenorio won eight PBA titles and was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals four times and Player of the Conference once. He also saw action for Gilas Pilipinas and was part of the squad that won the gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games that the country hosted in 2019.

But more than anything, it was Tenorio’s longevity that kept him on top.

Known for his hard work, grit, and heady plays on the court, Tenorio had not missed a single game in his 17-year professional career, earning him the distinction of being the league’s modern-day version of Ironman.

The streak ended at 744 consecutive games on 1 March 2023 when the Kings announced that Tenorio would sit out their match against Meralco due to a “groin injury.” It, however, turned out to be more than just a groin issue. It was colon cancer.

Tenorio likened being diagnosed with cancer to receiving a death sentence. He quietly cried himself to sleep, hoping and praying that it would simply go away by the time he woke up. It was truly a test of faith.

But Tenorio refused to quit. He bravely battled the “Big C,” going for chemotherapy at the world’s best cancer treatment facility in Singapore, and taking good care of his body while deepening his devotion to the healing priest, St. Padre Pio.

Then, a miracle happened. He was declared cancer-free after 12 chemo sessions. His prayers were answered.

He returned to the PBA in December 2023, enabling him to put the finishing touches to a Hall of Fame career that touched the hearts of Filipinos — both on and off the court.

Now, he is coaching young men in the SEABA tournament, giving him a golden opportunity to share his story of redemption and resurrection to countless young boys who are dreaming of becoming the next basketball superstars.

Yes, the nightmare brought about by the “Big C” may be behind him now, but Tenorio is still armed with his unwavering faith, knowing that he is nothing but a small pebble that can be easily washed away into a vast ocean with one stroke of misfortune.

For him, he is no longer being measured by the number of points he made or the games he played: he is now being judged by his ability to cling on to the faith that helped him recover during the darkest and most painful time of his life.

We Filipinos should learn from Tenorio’s story of resurrection. We should learn that no matter how hard the situation is, we can easily overcome it if we put in the work and keep the faith. After all, the most amazing things in life always happen when you’re about to give up.

Truly, Christ has risen. Happy Easter!