Embracing the role

Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio will be staying on the court — for now.

Tenorio said he enjoys the role of a playing-coach despite the Hotshots’ 83-94 setback to TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Basketball Association Season 50 Philippine Cup last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 41-year-old Tenorio said playing while calling the shots from the sidelines is such a “blessing” as it gave him a chance to be on the elite list of coaches who also saw action for their respective teams like Robert “Sonny” Jaworski, Norman Black, Bobby Parks and Ramon Fernandez.

Later on, Allan Caidic and Manny Pacquiao had brief stints as coaches during their respective playing careers for Barangay Ginebra and Mahindra.

“It’s an opportunity. It’s a blessing to both coach and play,” said Tenorio, who decided to suit up with his iconic No. 5 jersey following the absence of injured stars Jerom Lastimosa and Paul Lee.

Tenorio said the trust given to him by the San Miguel Corporation management prompted him to see action to help his team make a deep playoff run in his first conference as head coach.

“It boils down to the trust of management and the team on me. They know that I can still lead a team. And they gave me this opportunity,” he said, expressing gratitude to SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua.

Tenorio’s impact was greatly felt in his first game as playing-coach. In fact, he was among the starters and made a couple of good plays en route to finishing with four points, two rebounds and three assists in 13 minutes of action.

Unfortunately for him, the Hotshots fell prey to the Tropang 5G, denying them of the twice-to-beat incentive in the next round together with Barangay Ginebra, NLEX and Meralco.

On the other hand, Tropang 5G will enjoy the playoff incentive against the Hotshots together with teams who emerged in the upper half of the eliminations like San Miguel Beer, Rain or Shine, and Converge.

Quarterfinal action erupts on Thursday — Christmas Day.

With the Hotshots facing a twice-to-win disadvantage, Tenorio said he will stay in the lineup not only to call the shots inside the court but also to fire up his teammates, especially now that their floor generals in Lee and Lastimosa are in sickbay.

“I might (play in the quarterfinals), yes. I think that will be our lineup,” Tenorio said. “Two of our point guards were injured, including Paul Lee, who was one of our leaders. I’m just here to help out.”

Tenorio said conditioning isn’t a major problem. After all, he has been training with the Hotshots since his appointment as head coach last September, making it easier for him to embrace the role of a playing-coach.

“I have been practicing with the team since I started. Just to keep in shape and be ready,” Tenorio said, adding that he is also learning the system from the Magnolia veterans.

“It’s different because I’m still new to the team. I’m still learning the players. Unlike when I was in Ginebra, I’ve been playing for 10-11 years.”

For Tenorio’s former coach at Barangay Ginebra, Tim Cone, having a dual role is easy for a smart and well-conditioned player like him.

“When we were in the Guam window, LA was joining us in every practice and he was killing us,” said Cone, who is also the head coach for Gilas Pilipinas.

“He was with the scout team and he would kill us on that team. The guy can still play, there’s no doubt about it.”