Yeng Guiao ushers new era for Philippines

MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - If there's one man who can steer the Philippines national basketball program into a bold new direction, it's new head coach Yeng Guiao.

"I'm not going to kid around. I want to coach the national team."- Yeng Guiao

Guiao, who coaches the NLEX Road Warriors team in the Philippine Basketball Association, was named national team head coach for the recently concluded Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia before being named interim head coach for the fourth window of the Asian Qualifiers. 

His reign as the national team's chief tactician, however, may extend even beyond that as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) are looking for the 59-year-old play-caller to continue being at the helm for good.

No less than SBP chairman emeritus Manny Pangilinan said so in a recent interview.

"I must say that Coach Yeng was a revelation," he said. "I think he can handle the head coaching post for good. I think so. For the country. We already talked about it."

The push for Guiao's rise to the position of permanent national team head coach gained traction after his admirable performance in the Asian Games, where despite finishing fifth place overall, the Filipinos managed to reignite their countrymen's passion for the game with their selfless brand of basketball. This despite so many big names skipping the tournament and so many controversies surrounding the program.

Pangilinan himself, coudn't hold back his admiration for Guiao.

"It was a Jekyll and Hyde transformation," said Pangilinan. "How we managed to bring the team together. From different personalities, different teams and how Jordan Clarkson also blended with the team."

Guiao himself won't hide the fact that permanently coaching the national team would be a tremendous honor, and he believes he has the needed experience and acumen to make it work.

"There is no doubt all coaches would want this position," he bared. "If you’re a coach starting out, you would look at your future and you want to be the head coach of the national team and I’m one of those. I’m not an exception to that. I'm not going to kid around. I want to coach the national team."

The reception from both the fans and players, thankfully, has been warm, with veteran center Asi Taulava even saying that they should drop the Gilas Pilipinas moniker in favor of a more traditional Team Pilipinas to signify the passing from the old to the new.

"Gilas—that’s in the past," Taulava said. "This is coach Yeng Guiao's time. It’s time to change the image of Philippine basketball. Under coach Yeng, we want to be known as Team Pilipinas. It has been so long, but this is great for Philippines basketball: One man that can unite all the big bodies in the PBA, the board, SBP - and that’s coach Yeng."

Guiao will take over from long-time national team coach Chot Reyes, who was at the helm of the squad in the first three Asian Qualifiers windows. The newly-installed bench tactician will fly with the rest of the Philippine team to Tehran soon, where the Filipinos face heavy favorites Iran on 13 September. After that, the return home to host Qatar on 17 September.

Guiao knows the high stakes of these matches, but he is also aware of the talent at his disposal in the national team. Not surprisingly, he is banking on that collection of talent to secure the country's second straight FIBA Basketball World Cup berth.

"It's been a while since we've brought together this kind of talent," he said. "You can see that there's a difference in just knowing that these guys are the most talented, the best players in the PBA, and they're willing to make that sacrifice to represent us."

FIBA