True champion: Guiao scores most important win outside basketball

Yeng Guiao stands on familiar ground as Rain or Shine surges to its best start in franchise history with seven straight wins in the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

As the Elasto Painters take a lofty spot in the team standing, the 67-year-old mentor is again leading a winning team that doesn’t have superstars in the roster.

“We’re pleasantly surprised. We felt before the start of the conference that our performance would be good, but we didn’t expect that it would be this good,” Guiao said in an episode of Off the Court, the weekly online sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE last Thursday.

The Elasto Painters’ unbeaten run has placed Guiao back in the spotlight as one of the enduring architects of success in Asia’s oldest professional league. Yet even as the wins pile up, the six-time PBA champion coach’s tone remains measured, almost wary of applause arriving too early.

“It’s part of our philosophy that we generate a lot of three-point looks, a lot of shots that will come our way and open up our players. They know which shots are good shots and which shots are bad shots,” said Guiao, who knows that it’s still too early to predict if he will win his eighth PBA crown as head coach.

“We work on those things in practice. We’re happy that we set the record, but that is not the intention. The intention is just to play our fast-paced style and take the available shots that the situation or the defense will give you.”

Perfect fit

Guiao has never been one to romanticize statistics.

For decades since bursting into the PBA as a 31-year-old mentor in 1990, that mindset has kept him relevant in a league that constantly changes faces, systems and trends.

‘I think the best experience in coaching the national team is the exposure itself — playing against the best players and coaches in the world. The World Cup stands out.’

“That will become a pattern for us. Of course, we always want to win, but that won’t happen every game. What’s important is that we’re able to adapt,” said Guiao, knowing that they are playing with a huge target on their backs as other teams are determined to deal them their first loss.

“What’s important is that you’re resilient. You will see different conditions and situations, and you need to adjust.”

The same discipline extends to the team’s import situation, where Guiao found a perfect fit in import Jaylen Johnson.

He said he had seen a lot of super imports in the past like Tony Harris, Ronnie Thompkins, AZ Reid and, to some extent, National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson when he played for Gilas Pilipinas in the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, but there’s nobody that fit quite perfectly than Jaylen Johnson.

“I think it’s a lucky break on our side to be able to acquire the services of Jaylen Johnson. Sometimes, you go through imports and still get disappointed, but for us, in this conference, our first import worked well,” Guiao said, referring to the 29-year-old former Louisville standout, who is being floated as a possible candidate for naturalization due to his great work ethic.

“Not only his style of play, but also his attitude — he’s easy to work with.”

Past experience came into play for Guiao, who cited his time coaching Gilas Pilipinas in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China as a defining moment for him.

“I think the best experience in coaching the national team is the exposure itself — playing against the best players and coaches in the world. The World Cup stands out,” Guiao said.

“The feeling of being there, in that environment, is like being in basketball heaven. When you return, you’re more motivated to improve and learn new systems.”

Still, while Rain or Shine’s rise is notable, Guiao’s most recent and lasting triumph may lie outside basketball.

Bigger than basketball

After years of legal struggle, Guiao and his counsel, Atty. Jun Guzman, succeeded in a Supreme Court battle involving funds intended for Philippine sports from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

For a coach whose life has revolved around competition, he speaks of that victory with a gravity that dwarfs trophies, as it was a nine-year struggle that started back in 2016 when he was still the congressman of the First District of Pampanga.

“It was difficult. Sometimes you feel hopeless during the legal battle. You think nothing will happen even if you know you’re right,” Guiao said.

“But when you win, it’s worth everything. For me, that victory is more important than any championship because it affects more people — athletes, coaches, and sports associations. It helps build facilities and support sports in a bigger way.”

For him, to rank a legal victory above championships is to reveal what he values most — impact that outlives scoreboards.

“The biggest challenge was going against the Office of the President, PAGCOR and PCSO — the richest government institutions. We didn’t even have money to pay a lawyer,” said Guiao, whose hard work is now being enjoyed by the national athletes who are representing the country in major international events.

His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was feted by the Philippine Sportswriters Association as he received the President’s Award last February.

He also insists the crusade was never about personal advancement.

“It wasn’t my motivation to get a position in any sports body. What’s important is that you’re able to help and do your part,” Guiao said. “If I can still help in the future, why not? But it doesn’t have to be in an official capacity.”

That statement may explain why many athletes and coaches admired the effort as it was not packaged as ambition but framed as duty.

“That’s the reward — knowing it will have a positive ripple effect. But after some time, people will forget it,” Guiao said. “You didn’t do it to be remembered. You did it because it was the right thing to do.”

In a world increasingly shaped by visibility and branding, that line lands with uncommon force.

But away from the bright lights of the PBA, he has fought — and won — for something far bigger than basketball.

And that’s what made him a true champion.