INTERVIEW: JASMINE W. PAYO
PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL MONDOK
July 9, 2009 | 2281 views
Losses come far and between for the Red Lions. So how do you take them?
It depends on how you lose the game. There are times you think your players did well but it still wasn't enough, and you lose the game. So medyo soft ang landing ng talo. But if you feel they didn't do things right, they chickened out, kumbaga sa sabong di pumalo, yun ang nakakainis. You don't work so hard in practice just to get that kind of performance. That’s frustrating. What matters most though is that you've got to move on and prepare for the next game.
Do you take offense when some say the UAAP is a far better league than the NCAA?
I don't get offended. It's like looking at a woman. Beauty all depends on the beholder.
You did well as Talk 'N Text's team manager in the PBA. What brought you back to college hoops?
I played in the PBA for about 15 years. Right after retirement, I went into coaching. First, I was an assistant of Eric Altamirano in Purefoods for a couple of years. Then we transferred to Mobiline. After one or two conferences, we all got fired because we had a hard time winning.
A few weeks after, I received a call from MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan). He invited me to talk and offered me the job to become the team manager of Mobiline. I agreed, and from then on we started working. I was their team manager for the last nine years. Then, three years ago, Koy Banal won the championship for San Beda. Immediately after that, they tried renegotiating Koy’s contract, but it bogged down for a number of reasons. The job was then offered to me. I accepted it, and became the coach of San Beda. I had little coaching experience, and most of my experience came from playing. But I felt good about it and since I knew the game, I thought I did the right thing. I wasn't even scared, to tell you frankly. Not scared, not nervous. Iba siguro pag alam mo ginagawa mo. It's not like they were asking me to operate on a person. I feel I know my stuff when it comes to basketball. I believe in the team and the players, and things worked out right.
