Northport head coach Pido Jarencio and Letran mentor Bonnie Tan joined SMC director Alfrancis Chua in denouncing the comments made by Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin on Philippine basketball.
Jarencio and Tan went to social media to Sunday to share their personal sentiments on the matter.
For Jarencio — who steered University of Santo Tomas to the UAAP Season 69 crown — Baldwin’s remarks were an insult to local coaches like him.
“The recent pronouncements of Mr. Baldwin’s interview is totally walang respeto sa mga Filipino coaches.
“It is ironic that this foreign coach who’s currently being employed by a local professional basketball team, ay may lakas ng loob na insultuhin at mababa ang tingin sa mga local coaches, pretending to be a basketball genius! What an arrogant prick!” Jarencio said about Baldwin, who steered New Zealand to the Olympics during the early 2000s.
NCAA Season 95 champion coach Tan, on the other hand, stated that the time-tested rules of Philippine basketball, especially the PBA, exist for a reason.
“While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, the rules of Philippine basketball are in place for their own respective reasons which you may not understand.
“To publicly criticize local players, officials, coaches, and leagues (PBA, FIBA) you are not an active part of is totally uncalled for. Some things are better left unsaid,” Tan’s statement read.
Earlier, Chua had said on SPIN.ph that Baldwin’s record in the PBA gave him no right to talk about local coaches the way he did.
“If he’s thinking that PBA coaches are immature, e, sana tinalo niya. Siguro kaya siya napunta sa amateur kasi walang nangyari dito sa pro.”
Tan and Jarencio were in unison in saying that the American-Kiwi tactician was disrespectful to the country where he is working.
“I personally do not agree with his statement. His statement is a reflection of how ungrateful he is to the very country who provides him employment and opportunity,” Jarencio said.
“You should be in the NBA if you are one good banana. But hey fella, we are here in Pinas so you better RESPECT the local coaches, players, and officials,” added Tan.
