Jojo Lastimosa joined an elite list of coaches on Friday evening.
In his maiden campaign as head coach of TNT, he steered the MVP-owned franchise to the top of the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup. The only other coaches who were able to achieve such a feat were Ciso Bernardo, Eric Altamirano, Ryan Gregorio, Joel Banal, and, the man he replaced, Chot Reyes.
“No one else wanted it,” quipped Lastimosa about being named to replace Chot Reyes as TNT head coach as the latter needed to focus on Gilas Pilipinas.
Easy was Lastimosa’s transition to being the head coach of the Tropang Giga.
Besides having a staff that includes Josh Reyes, Sandy Arespacochaga, Yuri Escueta, and Ranidel De Ocampo, Lastimosa, who is also the concurrent team manager of TNT, was never absent during coaches meetings, according to Reyes.
“If you remember sa All-Fiipino Finals, yan na yung setup. We were already preparing him. When we asked him to join us, we knew that he will have added value to us,” said Reyes, who is also a senior consultant at TNT, when they got Lastimosa from NLEX last June.
Reyes, of course, is nothing but proud of Lastimosa, who has been a long-time friend of his since their days at Ateneo de Manila University.
“Very, very happy. Very proud of the coaches, Coach Jojo especially.
“Unbelievable. Fantastic coaching job. His calm demeanor was a very, very big factor in stabilizing the players. Coach Josh, Sandy, Yuri, and Ranidel did a heck of a job as well,” Reyes expressed after Lastimosa steered TNT to its ninth championship on Friday.
But now, a question will linger for TNT for the long off-season: Will they keep this status quo heading to next year?
Well, even Lastimosa does not know the answer.
“It might change everything and it remains to be seen.
“This was just supposed to be a one-off but I don’t know what Boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan), Boss Ricky (Vargas), and Mr. Al Panlilio will do,” said Lastimosa.
“I’ll be ready just in case. I can be a manager and a coach at the same time. I’m still doing my managerial job. I never lost that one yet. There’s an advantage to being a manager and a coach. Pag hindi nakinig yung player mo, ‘Sige, renewal mo. You have to play well. I’m coaching you.’ I can do both,” he said with a sheepish smile.
And it will be a good problem for TNT from now until October.
—
The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
