Bayno left heart in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Indiana Pacers assistant coach Bill Bayno said the other day his love affair with the Philippines over a three-year period was a highlight in his basketball career and if ever there’s a book on his basketball journey, a chapter will be devoted to “that great time in my life.”

Bayno, 57, coached TNT in two conferences, including a losing finals appearance in the 2002 Commissioner’s Cup. During a coaching web seminar organized by Blackwater sports director Ariel Vanguardia on Zoom last Saturday, Bayno spoke from his home in Charleston, South Carolina and reminisced about his Manila trips. Although he coached TNT for less than a season, Bayno often made trips to Manila as a consultant with the MVP Group until he got busy with the NBA.

Bayno said he remembers taking a beating from coaches Yeng Guiao and Chot Reyes in the PBA and has fond memories of his battles with coaches Tim Cone, Norman Black, Jong Uichico and “little” Ryan Gregorio. “A lot of them kicked my ass,” he said. “We almost won a championship with TNT. It felt good to help Boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan), Boss Ricky (Vargas) and Boss Al (Panlilio), all of whom I’m still in touch with. I kind of set the table for the future. I owe MVP and the TNT organization a lot. I’m glad I was able to share my thoughts on Mark (Dickel) when TNT was looking for a coach. It was fun to coach TNT although I used to shout like a maniac. The first guy I met when I arrived in Manila was (team manager) Frankie (Lim). I wanted to start with a clean slate so I told Frankie let’s do open tryouts. I didn’t care about reputations. I put in my offensive and defensive principles and looked for chemistry. Kenny Evans came out of nowhere to be something for us. We gave Gilbert Demape a chance. I was told Vic Pablo was at the end of his rope but played two solid conferences for me. Mark Telan also played well. I remember Willie Miller, Donbel Belano and Asi Taulava who was a beast, like Greg Oden before he got hurt. I remember our imports Jerald Honeycutt, who was an unselfish guy and Pete Mickael who I think will someday become an NBA general manager. I miss them all.”

Filipino fans will always have a special place in Bayno’s heart. “I miss how Filipino fans are so engaged,” he said. “They’re the best in the world, no doubt and second place isn’t even close. They’re at a different level. When I was with the Raptors, there was this Filipino guy in the grocery store near where I lived in Toronto, Chris who knew me from the PBA and we still get in touch. I remember crowds of 20,000 at the big arena. I’d love to do camps and clinics in Manila, for MVP, but with the Pacers, I do player development in the summer and I’m also involved in the summer league so there’s little time left.”