Anyone who played for Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao has a memorable moment with the fiery mentor. Ex-PBA player Chris Tiu shares his in an episode of The Long Take with Rizza Diaz.
Everyone remembers the first moments in their lives.
For retired PBA player Chris Tiu, the one that stood out among them was when Yeng Guiao gave him a dressing down in a game.
Popularly known as an outspoken, firebrand mentor, Guiao gave Tiu a piece of his mind at halftime of the Elasto Painters game against Kia in the PBA Philippine Cup nine years ago.
Before the break, Tiu infamously stood on the wrong end of a poster — and a piece of history — after then playing-coach Manny Pacquiao scored his first PBA field goal, a baseline jumper, right in his face.
The incident happened with still 10 minutes left in the second period at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 25, 2015.
“Ako 'yong bumantay. Ako 'yong hindi bumantay. Kaya nayari ako kay coach Yeng,” Tiu told Rizza Diaz in an episode of The Long Take.
“Napagalitan ako ni coach Yeng for the first time sa buong team. Kasi hindi ko raw binantayan. Binantayan pero hindi masyado. Binantayan naman, hindi lang aggressive," he added.
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The seventh overall pick of the Elasto Painters in 2012 remembered heading into the dugout not knowing he had already earned Guiao’s ire.
“Pagpasok ko ng dugout, I was smiling kasi lamang naman kami. Lahat ng teammates ko, nakatingin sila sa'kin. Tahimik sila. Ako, nakangiti pa ako,” he recalled.
By the time Tiu settled, all hell broke loose.
“Pag-upo ko, ayan na si coach Yeng, nag-sermon na siya. [He said,] ‘I don’t care kung senador pa 'yan. We treat everybody the same. We play hard. Because of that, you will forever be posterized,'" said Tiu, now 40.
“I remember he was mad. That was probably the only time when he really got mad at me.”
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Fortunately for Tiu and the rest of Rain or Shine, they went on to drub the expansion team, 108-94.
The tongue-lashing only raised Tiu’s respect for the seven-time PBA champion coach.
“That made me appreciate him because he was so competitive. Kahit sino pa 'yan, he would treat everybody the same way. That was just the standard of excellence,” said Tiu, who retired from professional basketball in 2018 to focus on his businesses, among others.
“That was a funny moment. My teammates and I would always laugh about it. We ended up winning the game by a huge margin.”
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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.