Just a few days ago, Boyet Fernandez was a champion coach looking firmly in control as the San Beda Lions swept the Arellano Chiefs.
In his first head coaching job back in the PBA after four years, Fernandez was again relearning the game. “We had 29 turnovers, we allowed 14 steals against us. We played bad offense and then we didn’t play good defense. We have so many things to check. It’s a work in progress every game,” Fernandez told Tiebreaker Times.
Fernandez is one of the few coaches who has championships in the collegiate, amateur and pro ranks. He won a championship with Sta. Lucia Realty in the 2007-08 Philippine Cup. As mentor of the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA D-League, he led the team in establishing the league’s first dynasty .
With the San Beda Red Lions, he has won multiple titles as well. But a lot of things changed as soon as Fernandez assumed the head coaching spot for the Road Warriors, one of the newest teams in the PBA. He felt he was a newcomer coach handling his team on its very first day.
“I hope the management will be patient with me. I know I’ve won championships but it’s different now. I’m just a rookie, I’m just coming back and this will be a good lesson for me,” he added.
