LA Tenorio, tinalagang bagong coach ng Gilas Youth

Itinalaga na ng Samahahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) ang beteranong Gin Kings point guard na si Lewis Alfred Tenorio o mas kilala sa tawag na “LA”  bilang bagong head coach ng Gilas Pilipinas Youth.

Pinalitan ni Tenorio si Josh Reyes, na nagbitiw sa kanyang puwesto noong Setyembre matapos ang nangyaring pagkabigo sa kanilang kampanya sa FIBA ​​Tournaments.

“The SBP is excited to have a true sportsman and role model in LA Tenorio as our Gilas Pilipinas Youth head coach,” sabi ni SBP president Al Panlilio.

“He has great relationships with coach Norman Black, who heads our grassroots program, and coach Tim Cone of the elite level, and he’ll serve as the bridge between the two. When we first talked to LA about the idea, he was open to the challenge immediately and he even had a short list of coaches that he wanted to work with. He’s a natural leader and a winner on and off the court. He will teach our young athletes lessons they will use not only in basketball but in life as well," dagdag pa ni Panlilio.

Nabigla naman si Tenorio sa naging alok sa kanya ng SBP subalit hindi na niya ito tinanggihan at bagkus ay tumugon na ito sa ibinigay na responsibilidad sa kanya. 

“There’s a lot of pressure in the role because I’ll have big shoes to fill.  What coach Josh Reyes accomplished by making it to two World Cups is not and easy feat but I’m excited to work with our young players and help them reach their full potential,” sabi ng veteran point guard ng Ginebra.

Ang 40-anyos na tubong Nasugbu, Batangas ay ilang beses nang kumatawan sa bansa bilang manlalaro. Naging assistant na rin si LA sa Gilas sa ilalim ni coach Tim Cone sa 19th Asian Games gold-medal romp noong 2023, habang nagpapagaling siya mula sa cancer.

“I already talked to coach Tim and I’ll be running a similar system so our youth players can easily transition to the men’s team,” dagdag pa ni Tenorio.

Samantala, ikinatuwa naman ni SBP executive director Erika Dy ang pagkakatalaga kay Tenorio bilang head ng Gilas youth. Sinabi ni Dy na makakatulong ang mga naging kasanayan nito para sa mga kabataan lalo na sa grassroots sa larangan ng ganitong sports. 

“Coach Tim is big on continuity and that has been the reason why we’ve had a small pool for Gilas ever since he took over,” sabi ni Dy.

“Appointing Coach LA as head of our age group teams at the youth level strengthens that process. The goal is to complete the player journey from our grassroots to the elite level, and having a Youth coach who knows the system of coach Tim by heart will be beneficial for everyone involved," dagdag pa ni Dy.

Noong 2012, ang Gilas Pilipinas ay nanalo sa Jones Cup at sa makasaysayang silver medal achievement noong 2013 FIBA ​​Asia Championship na ginanap sa MOA Arena kung saan kabilang rin si LA sa tagumpay na ito.

Si 'Tinyente' ay naging bahagi rin ng 2014 FIBA ​​World Cup sa Spain kung saan nakakuha sila ng isang panalo sa limang laro. Ito rin ang unang pagkakataon sa loob ng 40 taon na nag-qualify ang Pilipinas sa World Cup.

Matapos irepresenta ang bansa bilang isang manlalaro, oras na ngayon para kay LA na tumawag ng mga shots para sa programa ng kabataan. Unang nakakuha ng shot si Tenorio sa coaching nang bigyan siya ni Bonnie Tan ng pagkakataon para maging assistant sa Letran Knights sa NCAA.