PBA legend Atoy Co takes coaching reins at Mapua

MANILA, Philippines – The Fortune Cookie is back where it all started.

Mapua on Wednesday officially appointed former alumnus Fortunato "Atoy" Co as its new senior basketball team coach with hopes of a better season and ultimately ending a decade-long title drought.

“Atoy is one of Philippines’ greatest basketball players ever and he is a former Cardinal. He will certainly bring excitement to Mapua Cardinals as well as the entire Mapua community, including our legion of alumni who have followed him play professionally through the years,” Mapua president Dr. Reynaldo Vea said in a statement.   

It will be a homecoming for Co, who played three seasons for the Cardinals from 1970 to 1972, during which he was named the season MVP twice.

“Mapua is my home. There were offers from other colleges to coach their teams before, but I turned them down. When I got a call from Mapúa, I said, ‘Why not?’ I’m a former Cardinal so it would be nice to come home,” he said.  

As a pro, Co was part of two Grand Slam teams by Crispa and is considered one of the PBA's elite scorers, having breached the 5,000- and 10,000-point marks and eventually making the PBA's 25 all-time greatest players.

As a coach, Co mentored Crispa in the PBL and steered the Redmanizers to two championships in the early 90s.

“His years of playing and leading his team to victories will certainly be an invaluable asset as he coaches the Cardinals.  As background for a coaching role, there can be no substitute to actual court experience that produced positive outcomes. Plus he coached the Crispa Redmanizers to back-to-back victories in 1990-1991,” Dr. Vea noted.

Co has taken over from Chito Victolero and will be at the helm in the next three years.