As the youngest coach in the PBA handling one of the two expansion teams in the Philippine Basketball Association, Yeng Guiao was looking for a source of inspiration and it just so happened that the league’s most iconic figure was still playing and handling the most popular team at the time when he burst onto the scene in 1990 — the Big J Robert Jaworski.
At that time, Jaworski was still fit and fiddle at the age of 44, and could still easily churn out double figures in any given game, and to exchange wits with The Living Legend in his rookie season as coach was somewhat like a baptism of fire for Guiao.
“I don’t think there’s any basketball coach or player na dumaan sa age or era namin na hindi na-influenced ni Coach Sonny,” said Guiao during an interview with Journey @ PinoyStep.com, a 15-minute video segment where basketball personalities were tasked to share their journey while on board their vehicle.
Jaworski was not just one of those more illustrious coaching counterparts of the upstart Guiao.
The young but fiery mentor also had to battle it out with his acknowledged coaching idol, ‘The Maestro’ Baby Dalupan, then coach of Purefoods, Norman Black, who just recently won a grand slam the previous season, and another up and coming American mentor in Tim Cone, then in his second season as coach of Alaska.
But it was the dynamic playing coach of the old Ginebra franchise where Guiao had seen the true meaning of toughness, both physical and mental.
“Legendary yung kanyang toughness,” said Guiao. “Legendary yung leadership niya. Lumalaki ka na yun ang nakikita mo. imposibleng hindi ka maapektuhan.”
The Jaworksi Effect, according to Guiao, that never-say-die philosophy, has been the mantra of The Big J and it has passed on from generation to generation.
“Actually, that Jaworski effect, up to now nararamdaman pa,” he added. “Yung Ginebra team is really the Jaworski effect. Inumpisahan niya yan at hanggang ngayon, buhay pa rin.”
“Etong mga fans ng Ginebra ngayon, ito yung mga anak at apo. Yun yung mga fans ni Coach Sonny. Ganun siya katindi.”
Until today, Ginebra is still the most popular team in the PBA and has stood the test of time, nearly 26 years since Jaworski retired.
The toughness Jaworski brought had a big effect on everyone from those people who had experienced it and Guiao was one of them.
Guiao has never disassociated himself to the game of basketball, but his trademark has been his toughness, bringing the best out of his players, which was quite similar to Jaworski’s philosophy when he turned his rag-tag squads to champions.
Images from PBA/Retro PBA Facebook
