About 24 hours since he was delegated by the management to become the interim coach of the Converge FiberXers, the new role has yet to sink in on Franco Atienza.
A long-time assistant coach of the old Alaska franchise, Atienza was among the holdovers of the once proud team in the Philippine Basketball Association and with barely two weeks before the start of the league’s new season, there’s no room for honeymoon period for the FiberXers, who need to hit the road with someone who has no head coaching experience.
Atienza and the FiberXers have nothing to lose and together, they need to endure at least the season-opening Governors’ Cup even when they’re still at a getting to kn0w stage.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect this to happen,” Atienza told Pinoystep.com. “But just like every loyal soldier, I have to be ready for the task. I’m one of those who have no coaching experience, but eager to make the most out of the opportunity handling a PBA team.”
“Management’s order for us was plain and simple — for us to perform well — and not look beyond this conference. We’re all in this together and we could only be grateful for the management’s trust.”
Atienza will be supported by the holdover members of the coaching staff which include a pair of two-time Most Valuable Players and PBA greats — Danny Ildefonso and Willie Miller.
With so little time and so many things to be done, it’s only logical for Atienza and the rest of the FiberXers to continue the system that has been put already in place by previous head coach Aldin Ayo.
Ayo and his chief deputy, Macjour Luib, resigned from their posts, leaving Converge scrambling to find the right man at the wheel.
Atienza is just more than willing to make up for the opportunity given to him.
“There’s no honeymoon period for us, so the best way to do it is to continue the system that is already in place and tweak some things. But the bottom line is, we need to perform better. We can only hope for the best,” added Atienza, who’s been in the Alaska coaching staff from the time of the team’s past head coaches like Luigi Trillo, Alex C0mpton and Jeff Cariaso before the franchise was acquired by the Dennis Uy-owned company.
Cariaso, who now handles Blackwater, isn’t surprised with Franco’s appointment.
“Coach Franco has been on the sidelines for many years preparing himself for this opportunity to lead. He’s ready, technically. He has a good rapport with the players and more importantly, he’s a stand up individual that players will love to play for,” wrote Cariaso in a Viber message. “I am very excited and happy for him.”
