Pinoy is pro hockey team’s fighting coach

DALLAS – There’s a Filipino working for the National Hockey League club Dallas Stars as a "fighting" coach and he’s sure that sooner or later, the Dallas Mavericks will win the National Basketball Association championship.

Although disheartened that the Mavs lost to Miami in the recent NBA Finals, Manny Hernando said he’s proud of what the team achieved this season.

Hernando, 34, was at the American Airlines Center to watch the Mavs’ home games against the Heat, not only as a fan but also as an agent for the Dorna/Van Wagner Corp. of New York.

"I was contracted to assist in the rotational signage at courtside," said Hernando, whose father Norberto is from Manila and mother Luzviminda Lopez is from Tarlac. "I made sure the signage that the NBA wanted to show was correct and prominently seen on TV."

Dorna/Van Wagner owned the rotational signage rights at the Mavs’ homecourt for the Finals.

Hernando’s official title with the Stars is coaching assistant. He works closely with strength coach J. J. McQueen and video coach Derek Mackinnon.

"I’ve been with the Stars since their inaugural year but I’ve held my current position since 1998," said Hernando. "The fighting coach position was just happenstance since I knew martial arts and boxing. Some of the players noticed me working out in the gym and asked to spar with me. That’s how I started helping them out in the fighting aspect of the game."

Hockey is a physical game and fights often break out during games.

Hernando said among the Stars, the players he hangs out with are left wing Steve Ott and defenseman Trevor Daily.

The second of four boys, Hernando was born in Manila and for seven years, lived in Guam where his father worked as an electrical engineer at the US Air Force Base. Hernando was 11 and in fourth grade when his family moved to Dallas. His brothers Luke, Jonathan and David Kyle all live in the US.

Hernando graduated at the University of Texas with majors in management information systems and kinesiology.

Fighting has been an avocation for Hernando since he was a boy. He started out with martial arts then began to specialize in boxing 10 years ago. Hernando fought as an amateur and competed in two Golden Gloves tournaments, finishing third and fourth in the lightweight division.

Hernando’s last visit to the Philippines was in 1996.

"I came home for a two-week visit and stayed with relatives," said Hernando. "My grandparents on my mother’s side still live in Tarlac while my grandmother on my father’s side lives in Manila."

Hernando said he’s disappointed the Mavs failed to capture the championship. Dallas blew a 2-0 series lead and lost the next four games to Miami in the Finals. But he said he’s sure they’ll bounce back with a bang next season. What was particularly painful in the Mavs’ defeat was the clincher came in Game 6 in Dallas.

"It’s very exciting for the city of Dallas to have a possible championship basketball team," he said. "I was part of the Stanley Cup championship team with the Stars so I know the feeling of bringing home a championship which is a very special thing."

Hernando said his favorite NBA player is Mavericks forward Josh Howard.

"Howard overcame a childhood disability to be able to play at the top level of his sport," said Hernando. "I also like (team owner) Mark Cuban who’s very passionate. I like his style in his involvement with the Mavs. Although he is more hands-on than most owners, I prefer him to be involved with his team."

Howard, 26, was born with crooked legs and when he was three months old, doctors broke both his legs twice and braced them to straighten out his limbs. He grew up to become a star basketball player in high school and enrolled at the Hargrove Military Institute before transferring to Wake Forest University.

Howard’s grandmother Helen and mother Nancy influenced his decision to finish his education at Wake Forest where he earned a degree in religion. He is one of only four years in Atlantic Coast Conference history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 steals, 200 assists and 100 blocked shots.

Howard was the first Wake Forest cager drafted since Tim Duncan. He was chosen on the first round and 29th overall by Dallas in 2003, the year Dwayne Wade was picked fifth overall by Miami.