‘Little Brother’ the King-maker

Bethune Tanquingcen was always underestimated. Barely scraping five feet, seven inches tall, he was always told he was too small. Even his nickname, Siot, meaning "little brother" ("siao ti" in Mandarin or "sioti" in Fookien) is a reminder.

But Siot always made it a point to play big. He played for the University of Santo Tomas in the early 1990’s at the height of their strength, and was even selected to the men’s basketball team to the 1993 Southeast Asian Games. And just when people thought he was at the end of his rope, he tied another one on and climbed up to the PBA, where he enjoyed the good graces of San Miguel Beer. He spent much time on the bench, but that was where he matriculated, eventually winding up a valued assistant to Jong Uichico.

Last Tuesday, Tanquingcen received a phone call that changed his life. He was being appointed the new head coach of Ginebra San Miguel, stepping into the place of Allan Caidic, who has been moved to team manager. At 32, the former Glowing Goldie is one of the youngest coaches in the PBA, and is currently the smallest. And though he’s dreamed of this moment, he’s also the one most surprised by his turn of fortune.

"It’s mixture of excitement and anxiety," he begins. "Anxiety, because it’s no secret that Ginebra is the most popular team. There are high expectations for this team. That’s where the anxiety comes in, because, in a way, you don’t want to disappoint the millions of fans of Ginebra. Excitement because, basically, it’s everybody’s dream to get results in whatever you’re doing."

The circumstances are far from ideal, though. The Gin Kings have not won a championship since the mid-1990’s, and have had a losing record the past three years, despite their supposed strength on paper. And Tanquingcen’s first test is the hard-nosed Red Bull Barako squad, tonight.

"Immediate goals right now? You can’t change everything right away. And I don’t plan on changing things on such a short notice," he admits. "I don’t think we have any philosophical differences with Coach Allan’s style. We were under Coach Ron (Jacobs), under Coach Jong; we have the same basic principles on certain stuff. But it doesn’t mean that since I came from San Miguel, that everything’s going to be just like a carbon copy of San Miguel. I have to decide what works for Ginebra. What works best for San Miguel might not work out well for Ginebra."

Tanquingcen demurs when asked about Barangay Ginebra’s past failings, saying he doesn’t know the players that well on a personal level. But he will say what he plans to work on.

"I think it all boils down to defense. Even if you score a lot of points, but you’re not able to slow down the other team, it’s useless. I’m not saying this team is a bad defensive team, but that’s one spot where they could improve more. Actually, they’re a pretty good defensive team."

One thing that Ginebra was always known for was its relentless will to run.

The picture most vivid in people’s minds is the herd of Sonny Jaworski, Rudy Distrito, Dante Gonzalgo, Chito Loyzaga and high-scoring imports like Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett thundering up the court for blindingly fast and easy baskets. Being a point guard himself, will Tanquingcen bring back that character to the league’s darling?

"I think that’s what the personnel entails. They’ve got the tools, the material for that. But the only thing I want to add is not to let the guys run for the sake of running, letting them loose for the sake of letting them loose. You just have to put a bit of structure in the way they run. They’ve got good quick guards, good quick big men. But a quick player running without direction isn’t as good as a slower player running with efficiency."

Even though he breathes the scientific know-how of his mentors, the long-time scout and assistant knows that, ultimately, it will be his imprimatur that will guide Barangay Ginebra to its hoped-for renaissance. And, strangely enough, underlying all that knowledge is the grit that got him here in the first place.

"My personality. A team is always a reflection of their coach’s personality.

That’s basically the way it is. And somehow, I think I fit well with this team because I was always trying to prove myself.

They always told me I was too small to play college basketball, so I always had to prove myself. When I finished college, I was always too small to play pro ball. So I had to prove that I could play. I would want that attitude to be reflective of the team. Even if you think the odds are against you, it doesn’t mean that you just lay down and give up."

Sounds just like Ginebra to me.

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