LA Tenorio will get tested as a head coach as the Magnolia Hotshots look to finally get over the hump in PBA Season 50.
LA Tenorio is still getting used to being called a “coach” when he made his first public appearance as the new Magnolia head coach.
Usually one to know always what to say, Tenorio made a big pause in his first scrum as the Hotshots mentor with the PBA Press Corps.
“Ano pa rin, di pa rin sanay. Pero masasanay din yan paunti unti,” Tenorio said.
[RELATED STORY: LA Tenorio pens heartfelt message to Ginebra as he moves on to coach Magnolia]
Fortunately for the many-time PBA champion, he isn’t having a tough time adjusting to a new role.
The 41-year-old has the Hotshots to thank for that.
“So far okay naman. Kilala ko naman mga players sa Magnolia, kilala naman nila ako as a player. But again it’s different when you’re a coach,” he said.
“But the good thing about it is they’re wiling to learn. They’re committed. They’re very hard working, walang akong problem.”
[ALSO READ: PBA: Chito Victolero has nothing but love for LA Tenorio, Magnolia]
Like the rookie coach, the Hotshots are just as hungry to be in the league’s pinnacle and to essentially drop the “introboys” tag they’ve gotten through online discourse over the years.
“The good thing about the team is they’re hungry to get to that level again. Medyo matagal tagal na silang di nakakatikim eh,” Tenorio said of the Hotshots, who last won a PBA title in 2018.
But Tenorio is also quick to temper his players’ desires, saying it’s going to be a process.
[ALSO READ: LA Tenorio as PBA playing-coach for Magnolia Hotshots? Chua, Brownlee weigh in]
“Just like what I’ve told the players, everyday we just have to be better, everyday we just have to work and we’ll see what will happen,” he said.
“You really have to be patient, you have to trust the process especially as a new coach. We’re taking it one day at a time.”
He added: “We want them to realize na we don’t have to win everything, we don’t need to win every game. We just have to learn, we just have to get better, and let’s see what will happen in the playoffs.”
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.