I still remember my first time coaching a (high school) basketball team. I was practically clueless and nervous. It was thanks to my then colleague, mentor, and friend, Mr. Benjamin Ilano Jr. of Benedictine Institute of Learning who showed me the ropes. Let me get this straight, there’s still a ton of things that I need to learn in terms of coaching, but because of his guidance (and the risk he took by letting me coach the team), I managed to make a somewhat acceptable performance. Since 2009 I have managed to be involved in sports in all the schools that I have worked for.
In 2012, St. Edward Integrated School hired me as its very first faculty member and sports coordinator. I also had the privilege of working then with one of the best coaches in our province. Coach Angelito Cani taught me a lot in coaching. I did not only learn some of his drills, but also how he managed the attitude and discipline of his athletes.
And in 2014, I first experienced being hired purely as a basketball coach by Fiat Lux Academe in Dasmariñas, Cavite. It was a little stressful, but I considered it as “good” stress. There I met Coach Robert Sto. Domingo, who became a really good friend of mine. It was through him that I learned the true meaning of “Head Heart Hustle“. Our work ethics were basically the same; we focused on the conditioning and consistency of the players. He oversaw the conditioning, while I was into consistency.
The team that we coached was a bit undersized compared to other schools. But through our combined efforts and hard work, we managed to reach the finals with a perfect 9-0 standing. Our players conditioning was something that most of our opponents at the time did not share. The team can pull off doing a full court man to man pressure defense for 4 quarters (if needed).
This “shock and awe” strategy of ours usually catches our opponents off guard. The kids executed their plays efficiently. Their intense defensive plays were effective and their continuous running up and down the court simply exhausted most of their opponents. Their ball rotation and off ball movements on the court, along with their communication inside did a lot of wonders as well.
Sadly, when it all mattered most, even with our twice to beat standing, we lost in the finals against the defending champs. St. Jude’s basketball team had the size, strength, speed, and stamina. We did put up a good fight, but despite giving it our all, we still lost (though I think we were the only team that they didn’t beat by a huge margin). Despite that heartbreaking loss, I am still very happy and proud of what we have achieved as a team.
From all the coaches that I had the privilege of working with, especially from my friend, Robert… I have learned that in every game and in every aspect of life, we should always use our heads, be guided by our hearts, and hustle by never settling for a half assed performance.
And now, in the senior high school of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute, I am once again part of the sports program. Being the high school sports moderator and as a member of the coaching staff, I pray and hope that we will, in the near future, be recognized as a competitive and fearsome team.
robferal 