If there’s any Philippine team of recent memory that had all the ingredients of solid preparation and training, intelligent coaching and scouting, outstanding execution and excellent management support, it has to be the Nokia-RP Youth five that creamed the under 18 years old teams of Malaysia (98 – 67), Thailand (92 – 76), Indonesia (123 – 43) and Singapore (98 – 55) by an average margin of almost 43 points in Kuala Lumpur to win the seventh SEABA (Southeast Asian Basketball Association) Championship for Young Men.
The Philippines was suspended by FIBA (International Basketball Federation) two years ago and the 2008 championships became the opportunity for the Filipinos to reclaim the title the Malaysians captured in 2006 in the absence of the Filipino cagers.
Back with a vengeance after the suspension was lifted, the Filipinos prepared extensively for the tournament, the winner and runner-up of which take part in the Asian Youth championship in Tehran from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5, 2008. The Tehran competitions serve as a qualifying event for the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.
The first order of the day was to have multi-titled De La Salle University (DLSU) mentor, Franz Pumaren, appointed as head coach in November 2007 of the resurgent team. The second was to get Julio (Jun) D. Sy Jr. of TAO Corp., distributor of Nokia, among other products, to back up the team with both financial and management resources.
Pumaren then proceeded to build a coaching staff that had arch rivals DLSU and Ateneo working together: tapped as one of three assistant coaches was Sandy Arespacochaga, Ateneo asst. coach. The other members of the coaching staff were assistant coaches: Dindo Pumaren, Franz’s younger brother, and Jack Santiago; and Awoo Lacson, team support staff.
For his part, Jun Sy, 45, a Business Management graduate (honors program) of Ateneo, assembled the team’s management staff consisting of a number of grizzled management practitioners.
Vic Victa, a media promotions executive of Manila Broadcasting Co. for almost 13 years and who formed part of the Avia Communications team headed by Bobby Caballero and Bogey Gallardo that won in 1987, 24 creative guild awards for Philippine Airlines’ “shining through” campaign, was appointed team manager and spokesman.
Despite a hectic schedule as TAO Corp.’s marketing officer for “i.can”, a mobile service provider, Victa found the time to perform other allied but detailed and time-consuming tasks such as architect of the very informative RP Youth team website. Other members of the management team include Ito Lopa as assistant team manager and Nokia’s William Hamilton-Whyte, a Kenyan-born, French- and English-speaking executive at Nokia who successfully developed strategic marketing logistics and sales strategies and clinched major key Nokia players.
Pumaren who owns a 123-39 win-loss career coaching record holds the highest winning percentage among UAAP coaches at 76 percent, according to the Victa-administered RP Youth website. He played for various Philippine national teams under Ron Jacobs from 1981 to 1986 and guided the Green Archers to five (six if the championship trophy won in 2006 but returned by the Archers is to be counted) of the seven titles won by DLSU since joining the UAAP in 1986. The two others were delivered by his older brother Derrick in 1989 and 1990.
Coach of DLSU since 1998, Pumaren led DLSU to eight Finals appearances in nine seasons and has won 13 of 20 or 65 percent of Finals games of DLSU. Pumaren, who is now on his third term as councilor in the third district of Quezon City (and is rumored to be a possible candidate for vice mayor in 2010), coached the Archers to the UAAP championship in his first year in 1998 and steered the squad to a record four-peat from 1998 to 2001. With Pumaren as coach, the Archers have never missed a Final Four in every season they have participated and since the Final Four format was introduced.
A point guard during his stint with De La Salle (from 1980 to 1986), several national teams and in the Philippine Basketball Association, the 46-year-old, 5’9” Pumaren (140 lbs during his playing years), cites Jacobs as having influenced his coaching style in terms of game preparation and in instilling discipline. He adds however that the support of Jun Sy for the national youth team was instrumental in the success of the national squad. “You have to give Jun Sy and his people a whole lot of credit for our success. The support was there and the confidence in us never wavered.”
More on the youth team and the people behind the scenes next week.