Coaching experiments continue for San Miguel Beer and Ginebra

It wasn’t just a battle between sister teams, not just a game between two of the PBA’s most popular teams. San Miguel Beer versus Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was also a battle between the two teams with unique coaching strategies.

On one hand, there are the Beermen who call Biboy Ravanes their head coach. Todd Purves, the first assistant coach and team consultant, basically has the same role. Former head coach Gee Abanilla went from coach to team manager to PBA Governor in rapid succession.

One the other hand, you have the Kings who call Ato Agustin their head coach. Meanwhile, first assistant Juno Sauler handles the board during timeouts as former head coach Alfrancis Chua looks on as the team’s manager.

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Normally, in basketball, there’s one head coach and multiple assistants. The head coach is usually the boss in the huddle with his assistants helping out every so often.

But the two SMC teams, perhaps eager to end their title droughts, are trying a different approach to coaching.

For the sake of this post let’s call it the “Bigger Role” attack as Purves and Sauler were assigned bigger roles beside their respective head coaches.

After the San Miguel Beermen won over the Meralco Bolts, Ravanes and Purves shared the floor on the media room.The two coaches shared the spotlight, waiting for the other to finish before they spoke. They had each other's back when the media members pressed about the impending import switch for the Beermen.

When Ginebra defeated the Barako Bull Energy, Agustin went alone while some expected Sauler to be with him. Agustin started by saying that the breaks of the game went their way. He added that their adjustments worked. He didn’t elaborate which breaks they got and which adjustments they made.

“It’s a collective effort from the coaches,” Agustin added after the game. “Yung mga plano, pinaguusapan namin before the game.”

“It’s a collective effort of everyone, it’s a sharing of ideas with the coaches present,” Sauler agreed in a separate interview. “But before we practice and after practice coaches have ideas on what to do. It just so happened that I was tasked to have it implemented during games, but everything is just the same.”

But everything is not the same. It’s so different.

“The difference is si coach Juno yung mas active role. I think it’s for the better of the team. It’s a win-win situation for us. Coach Ato is giving some responsibility to coach Juno,” said head playmaker LA Tenorio who went on to say explain just how different their team is now.

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“Coach Juno gives the players the opportunity para ilabas kung ano talaga yung skill nung player. Konti lang yung mga plays niya kasi more on read and react yung offense niya. Si coach Ato marami talaga yung offensive sets niya,” Tenorio added. “Kung ako si coach Ato, mahihirapan ako sa situation niya pero for the better of the team kaya ganun yung situation ngayon. It’s also better for coach Juno na ma-handle niya yung team after 13 years in Ginebra.”

These two squads are not rookies in these weird coaching situations. SMB had it before with Olsen Racela as their head coach and Rajko Toroman as team consultant. Ginebra also had weird situations where Jong Uichico and Siot Tanquincen were alternated as head coach.

In the game between Ginebra and San Miguel, the movement on the sidelines was at times more exciting than the blow out game. Sometimes, this is the problem brought about by having too many good people in one team. Ravanes, Abanilla, and Purves all have the capability of being a PBA head coach, ditto for Agustin, Sauler, and Chua.

Because they are lacking the championships to place behind their championship caliber payrolls, Ginebra and San Miguel Beer have called all hands on deck.

For that game though Purves and Ravanes had an easy win against Agustin and Sauler. Even though they have strange arrangements, the Beermen have cruised to two easy wins while the Kings are at a respectable 1-1.

For now the San Miguel Beermen will stick to their head coach and team consultant co-coaching. The Barangay Ginebra Kings will also stick to their head coach assistant coaching and their assistant coach head coaching. Confused? I am too. Let’s just hope their players are not.