Jeff Viernes is still very much in his prime at 29, but he might have just found where he is heading next when the time comes for him to hang up his basketball sneakers for good.
The diminutive gunslinger — himself a veteran not just in the local scene, but also in the Southeast Asian region — is currently part of the Malaysian men’s basketball team’s coaching staff.
Viernes is with the team competing in the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian Games here in Manila.
“Alam mo naman ang player, ‘pag natapos na ‘yung career sa pagba-basketball, bagsak ganito. Eh napaaga sa ‘kin,” the product of St. Clare said after his side’s loss to Indonesia on Thursday.
How he got there was unexpected. In 2017, he was invited to play for NS Matrix in the Seri Mutiara Cup, where he became a fan favorite — so much so that he was brought back the next year.
In his second stint, the ball club’s top brass asked him to stay to help out in developing their young players. And from there, Viernes’ ascent to being an assistant coach began.
He first worked with the second team, before being promoted to the A-team which won the 2018 MABA/Matrix Agong Cup, giving them the right to handle the national team for two years.
“Kinausap na niya ‘ko, na sabi niya gusto niya ‘kong mag-stay sa team para tulungan ‘yung mga young players ng Malaysia, especially talaga sa skills. Unang trabaho ko skills,” he recalled.
“Tapos after ng skills, ‘yun na, dinala nila ako sa second team nila, ‘yung mga young players na naman. Tapos naging sa first team. Nung last na nag-champion kami ako na ‘yung first assistant.
“Kaya kami nasali sa national team, kasi kung sino kasi nag-champion sa Agonh Cup, ‘yun ‘yung magha-handle for two years … So ngayon kasama ako sa staff, so tuloy-tuloy lang,” he added.
The former PBA D-League MVP, though, hasn’t finished his pro career yet. Currently, he is with the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
“Bago ako pumayag sa kanila, sabi ko gusto ko pa rin maglaro. Kaya pinayagan nila ako na sige, pwede ka maglaro, pero mas ano rito pagka kailangan ka namin dito,” Viernes said.
But Viernes is showing that he’s serious in his new career. He shared that he has already started working on his license, and should he acquire one, then he might fully shift to coaching.
“Nilalakad ko na ‘yung license ko, kausap ko na ‘yung SBP, ilalakad na. By next year, ‘pag natapos na, full time na ‘ko talaga. Stop na rin ako sa MPBL siguro. Depende pa rin.”
