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| Pat Aquino is still grateful for his time with Gilas Pilipinas as SBP begins its search for the new women's basketball head coach. POC Media Pool (file photo) |
MANILA--Pat Aquino expressed his gratitude to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for the opportunity to coach Gilas Pilipinas to greater heights in women's basketball, even if he was already let go.
Under Aquino's watch, Gilas soared to becoming the best women's basketball team in Southeast Asia, and the team even came close to clinching a spot for this year's FIBA Women's World Cup.
However, on Saturday, the SBP announced that Aquino had been relieved of his job as head coach, and a search is now underway for his replacement.
"I would just want to thank the federation for giving me that opportunity. It's been a long 12 years I've been at the helm as the head coach of the Gilas Pilipinas Women," Aquino, who also works as an assistant coach for Blackwater, said on Tuesday night after his team's PBA Commissioner's Cup game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
He added that he is taking SBP's decision professionally, saying, "I'm taking it as a man or as a head coach that, at one point or another, darating yung ganitong pagkakataon or darating yung panahon na you really have to go and set yourself from coaching."
Aquino took pride in guiding Gilas to a massive jump in the FIBA rankings over the past 12 years, from number 56 to number 30.
However, he also credited the countless female ballers who joined the national team during his tenure as head coach.
"It's not just me na ginawa ko yun, but it's all the girls that have played for the national team. Doon ako nagpapasalamat at natutuwa kasi sila yung nag-build ng program talaga, not just me," Aquino further said.
One thing he is going to miss, though, is the opportunity to coach Gilas in its upcoming home stand in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup next year.
"In a way, medyo nanghihinayang ako kasi for the last time na ginagawa ko ito, umaalis kami, and then now that we're here, I wanted to show sana how we could play at the same level already with the other Asian countries," Aquino added.
In conclusion, he hopes that his successor will continue taking care of the players as the quality of the recruits has improved over the years.
"Sana maalagaan ang mga girls nang mabuti at sana buo. I mean, ang dami kasing times na kulang-kulang ako, and then pag nag-practice kami, hindi lahat kumpleto. Sana, at the same time, magkaroon ng unity. Mga players, kasama. The support would be there for them. Sana ma-outgrow what we did, and hopefully, walang bias to really grow up," Aquino said, adding that he, too, hopes for the new Gilas coach not to get pressured to duplicate his accolades.
