Who is Bill Bayno?

He planed in quietly last Friday. No fanfare. No bugles. No garlands. Bill Bayno arrived in such a low-key fashion that hardly anyone noticed — except, of course, the Talk ‘N Text management in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Bayno, 39, was handpicked by Talk ‘N Text team owner Manny Pangilinan to personally evaluate the Phone Pals situation. He’s been showing up at each practice, getting acquainted with the players, watching their moves, observing their tendencies, familiarizing himself with the PBA style of play.

For Talk ‘N Text, recruiting Bayno was almost an act of desperation. He’s the man of last resort. But is he the savior he’s supposed to be? Can he lead Talk ‘N Text to the Promised Land?

Since taking over the Pepsi franchise in 1996, Talk ‘N Text has blown hot and cold, mostly cold. As Mobiline, the Phone Pals won the Centennial Cup in 1998 but the title doesn’t really count. The Centennial Cup was an "extra" sideshow and not in the regular three-conference format. Only once did the franchise advance to a finals of a regular conference — the 1998 Governors Cup where Mobiline lost to Shell in seven games.

Last season, the Phone Pals failed to make it to a single semifinals. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of each conference.

Pangilinan has patiently scoured the local horizon to find Mr. Right for the Phone Pals coaching job. He’s tried six different coaches — Yeng Guiao, Norman Black, Derick Pumaren, Tommy Manotoc, Eric Altamirano, and Louie Alas. But none has lived up to his expectations.

As a successful businessman, Pangilinan isn’t used to losing. It’s no wonder his executives are doing everything possible to turn Talk ‘N Text’s fortunes around. They don’t relish the thought of Pangilinan losing sleep because the Phone Pals can’t win a title. If six local coaches couldn’t get the job done, maybe a foreigner will.

Of course, the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) is up in arms. The BCAP isn’t inclined to play footsies with Bayno or any other foreign coach.

But there appears to be public sympathy for Talk ‘N Text in that it didn’t hire a foreign coach until after getting nowhere with six previous locals. Shouldn’t Talk ‘N Text be allowed to protect its investment in the PBA by doing what it believes is for the franchise’s best interests?

Bayno, a bachelor, played guard for two years at the University of Massachusetts, an NCAA Division I school, and two years at Sacred Heart where he earned Division II All-America honors. After graduation in 1985, Bayno attended the New York Knicks rookie camp as a free agent. He never made it to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Instead, Bayno turned to coaching.

Bayno apprenticed under P. J. Carlesimo, Larry Brown at Kansas and John Calipari at Massachusetts before his appointment as University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) head coach in 1995. Among the varsity players he recruited and trained were Danny Manning, Mark Bryant, Marcus Camby, Tyrone Nesby, Shawn Marion, and Keon Clark who are all playing in the NBA today. Others were former PBA import John Morton, Kevin Pritchard, Mark Randall, and Lou Roe.

After two years at UNLV, Bayno’s contract was extended until the 2002-03 season. He was that successful. Bayno took the Runnin’ Rebels to three 20-win records — 22-10 in 1997, 20-13 in 1998, and 23-8 in 1999-2000. But seven games into the 2000-01 campaign, Bayno was fired in the wake of NCAA sanctions on UNLV for recruiting violations. Bayno was cleared of any wrongdoing and lost his job only because the school looked for a convenient scapegoat.

Bayno joined UNLV three years after Jerry Tarkanian left the campus in 1992. He took over from Tim Grgurich who had replaced Tarkanian’s immediate successor Rollie Massimino.

Bayno made a name for himself at UNLV not only as an intelligent coach but also as a spirited motivator. He brought fire back into the Runnin’ Rebels attack. It’s that same fire the Phone Pals are hoping Bayno will ignite for Talk ‘N Text in the PBA.