By: Waylon Galvez
The last time veteran coach Arturo “Turo” Valenzona held a head coaching position was in 2011.
Though he considers himself retired from that role, his passion for basketball remains unwavering. Over the years, the sport has rewarded him with numerous championships — both as a player and as a head coach — spanning from collegiate competition to the professional ranks.
Now 82 years old, nearly 15 years since his last coaching stint, Valenzona remains deeply involved in the game by conducting basketball clinics for young athletes aspiring to play at a high level.
“After finishing my last coaching job, I still continued. I really enjoy doing this — teaching kids, with the help of young coaches, the basics of basketball,” Valenzona told Tiebreaker Times in Filipino on Sunday, January 26.
“Though I’m retired from active coaching as a head coach, I still give talks, seminars, and clinics. Because this is what giving back to our sport is all about.”
A former councilor in Manila’s District 5, Valenzona recently conducted a two-day basketball clinic for around 50 young players, all 12 years old and below, at the legendary street court of Barrio Obrero Youth Athletic Association (BOYAA) in Tondo, Manila.
Despite having undergone amputation on his right leg due to diabetes, Valenzona remains active, walking up and down the court with a prosthetic leg as he gives instructions. His presence and energy make it easy to forget he’s wearing one at all.
The invitation for the clinic came from BOYAA official Boyet Balacania, one of Valenzona’s former players at Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College of Quezon City), one of the teams he coached in his early years.
Champion coach Arturo “Turo” Valenzona gives instructions to young players during a basketball clinic at the Barrio Obrero Youth Athletic Association (BOYAA) in Tondo, Manila. (Waylon Galvez)
Valenzona played for Far Eastern University (FEU) in the UAAP before turning professional, competing in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) and later becoming a pioneering member of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with U/Tex when the league debuted in 1975.
After retiring as a player following one season in the PBA, he returned to FEU as head coach and led the Tamaraws to multiple championships, most notably back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973.
He later cemented his legacy in the NCAA, guiding San Sebastian College-Recoletos to four consecutive championships from 1993 to 1997.
The Stags completed a five-peat in 1998 under Bai Cristobal, after Valenzona accepted an offer to coach Pop Cola in the PBA.
His time in the professional ranks was extensive, having also coached Gilbey’s Gin, Tanduay Rhum, and Hills Brothers Coffee. Additionally, he had coaching stints in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (later the Philippine Basketball League) with RFM-Swift Hotdogs and Crispa 400 in the 1990s.
In a career spanning nearly four decades, Valenzona masterminded three PBA championships, leading Tanduay to its first-ever title in the 1986 Reinforced Conference, followed by an All-Filipino title that same year, and the 1987 Open Conference crown.
At the collegiate level, he steered FEU to eight UAAP titles, including championships in 1972, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1991.
In the NCAA, aside from his historic four-peat from 1993 to 1997, Valenzona returned to San Sebastian and added back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002. His final coaching stint was with the Stags in 2011.
Though he is no longer crafting game strategies, Valenzona remains a vital figure in the sport.
He serves as a consultant for La Consolacion College Manila’s basketball team, where his son, Raymond Valenzona — a former NCAA junior champion coach with the San Sebastian Staglets — is the head coach of the Blue Royals.
From winning championships to shaping future basketball players, Valenzona now finds fulfillment in inspiring the younger generation.
“Aside from teaching drills, proper dribbling, passing, and shooting, I share my own experience as a player with them. Because like most of them, I started with nothing. I was small, but I worked hard — that’s how I became an athlete-scholar in college,” Valenzona shared.
“From there, I was able to play in MICAA, then later in the PBA as one of its pioneers. Then, with the opportunity given to me by FEU, I became a head coach,” he added.
Now, decades later, Valenzona continues to give back to the game that has defined his life — proving that while his coaching days may be behind him, his impact on Philippine basketball remains as strong as ever.
