Coaching shift not an issue at Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines - Joseph Uichico said yesterday trading places with Siot Tanquingcen in a Barangay Ginebra coaching shift won’t be a problem in the PBA this coming season because they’ve worked together for years and they enjoy good chemistry.

 “I really don’t mind,” said Uichico. “I respect Siot’s coaching ability. It’s all about setting aside egos for the good of the team. We work well together. When I joined Ginebra from San Miguel Beer in 2006, Siot slid down to assistant coach and I took over as head coach. Siot was also in the coaching staff when I was head coach at San Miguel. I may be senior to Siot but with us, it doesn’t matter because we work as a team for the team.”

Uichico, 49, has won eight PBA titles so far, six with San Miguel, while Tanquingcen, 38, has claimed three, including two with Ginebra. “Maybe, if it were somebody else and I was super senior to the new guy, I would mind,” joked Uichico. “But seriously, I have no problems with the change. I’ll support Siot just as he has supported me.”

Ginebra starts practice at Xavier Gym on Monday morning with the players expected to report in full force. Eric Menk is on the way back here from a vacation in the US.

Uichico said from what he knows, offer sheets will be tendered to the Kings’ two draft picks Reil Cervantes and James Martinez.

“We’ve got a full lineup,” said Uichico. “What’s admirable is Jay-Jay Helterbrand’s attitude. He asked to be signed only for one conference. It came from him, not us. He wants to find out if he can still play at a high level, if he still has the drive to compete. He’s giving himself one conference to test.”

Uichico said during last Sunday’s draft, Shopinas offered to trade a future first pick for the Kings’ ninth overall selection, which turned out to be Cervantes. “Since we had a full lineup, the offer was tempting but Boss Robert (Non) advised us to hold on to the pick,” said Uichico. “Anyway, we could still trade our choice for a future pick later if we wanted. It turned out to be a blessing because we really need to shore up our frontline. I haven’t seen Cervantes play in a while so I’m eager to see him at practice.”

As for Martinez who was chosen in the second round, Uichico said it will be tough to take away minutes from Helterbrand, Mike Cortez and Rob Labagala but he sees promise in the UE hotshot.

Uichico said he expects the Kings to show up in full force at practice on Monday. “I know Yancy (de Ocampo), Rob, Billy (Mamaril), Ronald (Tubid) and Jimbo (Aquino) are in town,” he added. “I’m not sure about the others. We’ve told everyone to report for practice on Monday.”

With Tanquingcen back as head coach, Ginebra hopes to improve on its 34-24 record last season. The Kings were eliminated by San Miguel in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup, lost to Talk ‘N’ Text in the Fiesta Conference finals and fell a win short of making it to the Governors Cup finals.