When Yeng Guiao inherited the job of Gilas Pilipinas head coach, there was a lot of pressure that came with it.
Besides trying to lead Gilas back to the World Cup, Guiao also has the responsibility of changing the image of the Men’s National Basketball Team, stemming from the brawl that occurred last July 2.
With this pressure, Guiao provided a light moment that went viral during one of their practices for the Iran game last Wednesday.
One of his top guns Paul Lee posted a video on Instagram that went viral. The video saw Guiao, who probably stands a good 5-foot-7, throwing down a reverse dunk. The rim was lowered and Guiao gladly took advantage of it.
“Show me what your Coach got? My Coach pumped for tomorrow’s game!” the caption of Lee’s post read, together with the hashtag “My Coach Got Bounce”.
“Ine-entertain ko lang ‘yung sarili ko while they were warming up. I didn’t know na kinukunan pala ako ng video,” Guiao recalled with a smile. “I was just trying to enjoy that time na … gusto ko maramdaman kung paano umi-slam dunk eh, nakita ko ‘yung ring. Sabi ko, samantalahin ko ‘yung pagkakataon.
“So it’s a good sidelight, because there’s humor to that, and siguro it’s also something that’s going to lighten the atmosphere, to take away some of the pressure.”
The video drew plenty of laughs, not just in the Philippines, but also overseas.
Guiao continues to write a new chapter for Gilas. And he is taking this challenge head-on as he steers Gilas through unchartered territories.
“But again, that’s water under the bridge, so now we look forward to a new chapter in the episodes or story of the Gilas national team.”
