It may take some time to sink in, but Charles Tiu is just happy to have passed his first test as a PBA head coach after Phoenix pulled off an escape act versus one of the league’s perennial contenders in Magnolia on Friday night.
That game wasn’t simply the Fuel Masters’ Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup opener. It also happened to be the former college mentor’s debut at the helm as well, thus his relief that he got it out of the way.
“Masaya talaga, to be honest,” he expressed during the postgame press conference of their thrilling 101-98 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“I was like, maybe I’d never get into this press room to talk to you guys, kasi dati ako ‘yung nasa TV, nanonood habang nagtatanong kayo sa mga coaches. So it’s definitely a surreal feeling for me getting the first win off my back.
“It’s nice, you know. It’s still something that hasn’t sunk in. I mean, to coach in the PBA is still a dream for anybody, ‘di ba?” continued Tiu.
Tiu signed up as Phoenix’s new chief bench tactician just last January. Many were quick to set their sights on him and his debut, curious to see how he’d fare now that he’s taken easily one of the thankless jobs in all of sports.
It’s his very first head coaching gig in the PBA after previously serving as an assistant for now-defunct franchises in Powerade and Barako Bull, and later on for Norman Black with Meralco and, most recently, with Converge.
A champion coach in the PBA D-League with Go for Gold, he took over the reins from ex-pro Willy Wilson. The change signaled a fresh start for a team that has only reached the semifinals twice since it joined the league back in 2016.
Tiu, of course, knew the challenges of being a rookie head coach. Fortunately, he and the Fuel Masters had enough time to build up for the midseason tournament and prepare the best they could.
“Good thing we had a month at least to prepare, coming in with a new system, with a new import. There were a lot of changes din sa team so we really had to adjust,” he said as the franchise also underwent changes management-wise.
“But so far, the guys have been practicing well, they’ve been responding very well. We just told them we want to try to compete and win every game.”
(C) PBA Images
Fast forward to Friday night, and the whole squad competed before emerging triumphant for a rousing start to their conference.
But it was by no means an easy W, since they had to overcome a late-game fightback by the more experienced Hotshots, who got to within just a field goal with less than a minute left after staring at a 94-82 deficit with 4:07 to play.
That’s why Tiu couldn’t be more thankful, especially to his charges, for their remarkable display of character when the going got tough.
“All the credit goes to the players. At the end of the day, they were the ones who made the plays. Ako, I’m just here to help them out and sometimes just get out of their way. And today, we won. So I’m very thankful,” he said.
As glad as he is, Tiu & Co. have no plans to celebrate just yet as they’re bracing for tougher battles ahead. They play again in about 48 hours, as Phoenix is scheduled to face Titan Ultra this Sunday in Montalban.
“It’s big for us. We talked about how important this first game is. We wanted to start the conference on a winning note. But we’ve got a back-to-back, so we can’t celebrate yet because we play Titan on Sunday, na galing sa talo,” the concurrent Benilde Blazers head coach said.
“But, we definitely wanted to make a bang. Obviously, Phoenix isn’t a team that’s talked about by a lot of people; we’re kind of under the radar. So sabi namin, we may catch teams off-guard if they overlook us so we just wanted to compete.”
It’s going to be a long road from here on out, as Tiu is aware, but he’s always going to bet on his men against whoever comes in their way.
“I think we have a good enough squad to compete in the PBA,” he said. “Obviously, we’re not a powerhouse team like all the other top teams, but kami, we just want to try to give ourselves a chance, we want to battle, and we have to make sure our effort is there every game.”
#WATCH: REALLY WAITING FOR THE GAME TO FINISH 🏀
Phoenix head coach Charles Tiu gave credit to the Fuel Masters for withstanding Magnolia’s late surge#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/eDqdd6cpkx
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/vfOApCoarw
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 13, 2026
