Jaycee “Link” Nieles, RSG Philippines’ newest assistant coach, made an immediate impact in his MPL PH coaching debut by turning the tides against TNC Pro Team on Sunday during MPL Philippines Season 14.
Link now serves under head coach Brian “Panda” Lim’s coaching staff, and his presence has already made a significant difference.
Before joining RSG, Link was no stranger to the professional esports scene.
He previously coached the SIBOL Women’s national team in another game and led Vietnam’s Women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang national team at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.
His extensive coaching background made him a valuable addition to RSG’s staff.
In addition to his coaching career, Link also contributed behind the scenes as part of the MPL PH Broadcast team during Season 10. He worked as a Streaming Engineer and Social Media Manager.
His experience in different facets of esports gave him a well-rounded perspective that he brought into his current role.
“Hindi na bago eh kasi nag-handle na ako ng pro-team sa ibang game eh. Nag-handle na rin ako ng SEA Games representatives,” Link shared in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
“So kumbaga, paano ko lang ia-adjust yung sarili ko na meron silang head coach, kung paano ako mas makakatulong na hindi ko nao-override yung head coach namin.”
Link’s journey also included a head coaching stint during the inaugural UAAP Esports Tournament, where he led the University of the Philippines team.
Despite finishing at the bottom of the standings, alongside Ateneo de Manila University, this experience opened the door for his current position.
Midway through the UAAP tournament, RSG Team Manager Lourdes “Lexie” Yambao approached him about joining RSG as an assistant coach.
“Netong August, part ako ng UAAP. Ako yung coach ng UP. So habang nasa UAAP, kinausap ako ni Madam Lexi, ‘Coach, naghahanap ka ba ng team ngayon?’” Link recounted.
“Tapos sabi ko kay Madam Lexi, ‘Tapusin ko lang yung UAAP madam, tignan ko kung meron ako ibang commitments and then tantsahin ko kung kaya ko ba or hindi.”
By the time he joined RSG, Link had managed to adapt to the team’s dynamics despite his previous commitments.
“Noong nandoon na ako sa team, kinakaya naman yung dynamics. Since meron din akong ginagawa and ‘yon, nag-commit na ako.”
Currently, RSG sits in 6th place in the standings with a 3-5 record after the first week of the second half of the regular season.
As they aim for a playoffs spot, Link emphasized the importance of consistency in their upcoming matches.
“Dapat panghawakan lang yung mga naging learnings ngayon araw kasi ito talaga yung pinaka-naging breakthrough namin kung paano namin na-execute ng mabuti. Mas maging consistent lang tapos mai-apply namin ‘yon and then yung challenge kanina kay Nibor,” Link concluded.
“Ma-overcome lang ni Nibor ta’s tiwala na lang sa process.”
