Tale of two coaches - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

It’s a wonder why from the looks of things, two outstanding coaches may not be working this season.

Alfrancis Chua, 33, and Joel Banal, 42, are among a new breed of intelligent bench tacticians who live and breathe basketball. To them, the game is life itself. And they’re tested winners.

Take Chua’s case. He’s got a contract to coach Tanduay in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) up to the year 2003. But a few days ago, Tanduay announced that Chua won’t be back on the Gold Rhum Masters bench.

Although he has a reputation of volatility, Chua took Tanduay’s decision like a pro – he didn’t cry foul, he didn’t raise a howl. Of course, he would’ve liked to stay. After all, he’s been the Rum Masters coach since the club returned to the PBA in 1999 from an 11-year hiatus.

In Chua’s first PBA conference, he took Tanduay to the All-Filipino Cup Finals. He also piloted the Rum Masters to a pair of third-place finishes. In sum, he led Tanduay to four Final Four appearances in six conferences – not a bad batting average.

In Chua’s first year, Tanduay posted a 29-21 record for a 58 percent winning clip – second highest in the league, behind only San Miguel Beer’s 63.6 percent. That was higher than Alaska and Shell which posted identical 32-24 marks for 57.1 percent. This past season, Chua raised Tanduay’s winning clip to 63.6 percent – again, the league’s second highest, behind San Miguel’s 68.9 percent.

What was remarkable was Chua accomplished the feats with severe handicaps. In his first year, Tanduay played without a dependable wing although Sonny Alvarado and Eric Menk were in harness. In his second year, two wins were reversed resulting in a semifinal loss to Purefoods in the All-Filipino, Alvarado was sacked, Menk sat out 19 of 44 games, Rudy Hatfield missed three outings, Chris Cantonjos was sidelined the last five contests of the season because of a knee injury, and Pido Jarencio was in and out of sick bay. Talk about adversity – Chua certainly had his share since joining Tanduay. Still, he managed to keep Tanduay competitive despite daunting odds.

That’s Chua for you. Sure, he raves and rants during a game – it’s part of the drama. But when it’s all said and done, he’s a regular guy, like you and me – he feels, he gets hurt, and he bleeds. One other thing, Chua’s a fighter – he fights for his players and that’s why his players put their lives on the line for him.

When Tanduay dropped the bombshell on Chua, he understood.

"That’s management prerogative," he said. "Coaches are like players – we, too, can get traded or fired or whatever, depending on what management thinks is best for the team. I respect (team owner) Bong (Tan). I have no hard feelings. I just don’t know what Tanduay has in store for me."

Was he upset that Hatfield was traded and his assistant Itoy Esguerra won’t be rehired?

Chua said he knew Alaska had offered Bong Hawkins and Bryan Gahol for Hatfield but the deal wasn’t acceptable. He didn’t know about the trade that sent Hatfield to Pop Cola for Noli Locsin and the Panthers’ 2001 first round pick until the news hit the papers. As for Esguerra’s fate, Chua said he’s known to bat for his players and staff, even ballboys.

"I especially feel for Itoy because he’s been coaching University of the East without a salary," said Chua. "Upset? Syempre. We’re only human."

What will he do next?

"I hope I can do more games on TV as an analyst," he replied. "Basketball is my life. I can’t break away from it. I’m praying that someday, I’ll be given a chance to coach again."

The unexpected vacation will mean Chua spending more quality time with his wife Jocelyn Peñalosa, his high school sweetheart, and their three boys, Marc Francis, 5, Kyle Francis, 3, and Nathan Francis, 2.

* * *

Banal played six years in the PBA. He’s learned the ropes from some of the game’s best thinkers, including Ron Jacobs, Baby Dalupan, and Tim Cone. Banal played for the national team under Jacobs in 1980 and was Cone’s assistant when Alaska won six titles in five years.

Curiously, three years ago, Purefoods offered Banal a coaching contract. Purefoods officials Teddy Dimayuga and Ely Capacio negotiated in the team’s behalf.

"It was a generous offer but I had already signed a contract to coach Pasig-Rizal in the MBA (Metropolitan Basketball Association)," said Banal. "The offer was double than what I had signed for. But I couldn’t turn my back on Pasig-Rizal. I had given my word. I explained that to Mr. Dimayuga. It’s been my dream to coach in the PBA – it still is. I just couldn’t break my word."

Banal gained valuable experience coaching the Pirates. "It was a learning experience for me – I had control of the team, I made decisions, I brought in players like Jonathan de Guzman, Jay Magat, Patrick Benedicto, and Francis Adriano," he said. "In my first year, I made runners out of big men like Gido (Babilonia), Mike (Otto), and Sonny (Cabatu). I stressed the importance of transition defense and our team was ranked in the top three in defense for three seasons."

Under Banal’s guidance, the Pirates became the only MBA team to qualify for five straight semis. This past season, Pasig-Rizal captured its division championship – another feather in Banal’s cap.

A Banal trait is motivating a player to reach his potential like what he did to Bong Ravena in the MBA. Banal taught Ravena how to break-shoot to complement his slash and it made him more dangerous on offense. Ravena has since blossomed into a complete two-way player.

Banal began coaching in 1988 at Mapua, his alma mater, and steered the Cardinals to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1990-91. That was when he realized he enjoyed coaching more than playing.

Since Pasig-Rizal has stopped paying salaries to its coaching staff and players, Banal said he’s looking for a job. The other day, he sent his resume to Purefoods team manager Rene Pardo.

Banal’s credentials are unique. He’s the only person who’s played and coached at the collegiate, amateur, international and pro levels.

"Of course, I’d be excited to coach Purefoods if I’m asked," he said. "One of my goals will be to get Andy (Seigle) and E.J. (Feihl) to play together like Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The team has a lot of potential. It can create mismatches at different positions. It can go slow, it can go fast depending on the combinations on the floor. It’s a matter of taking the team to a higher level of play. If everyone pitches in and works hard, anything is possible."

Like Chua, Banal is blessed with all boys – Juan, 16, Miguel, 15, Gabriel, 10, and Rafael, 4. He’s a family man who’s happily married to his wife of 18 years, Jennifer Mapua.

Before joining Alaska, Banal worked five years at the Philippine STAR and left as Circulation Director. He is remembered at The STAR as a people person, a devout Christian with a knack for motivating his co-workers.

In basketball, it’s all about honor. Winning a championship is all about honor. Coaching is all about honor. Chua and Banal – they’re all about honor, too.