Alvin Patrimonio: The Captain is a coach-in-waiting

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least six of the basketball players who joined the Philippine Basketball Association in 1988 have gone into coachi ng.

Ronnie Magsanoc, who went second in the rookie draft has coached San Beda College to a NCAA title and has worked as an assistant with the Meralco Bolts and the Ateneo Blue Eagl es.

His backcourt partner while at the University of the Philippines (UP), Eric Altamirano, has coached Talk ‘N Text and Purefoods to PBA championships and recently piloted National University (NU) to a UAAP crown.

Of the rookie batch of 1988, the four direct hires by a then-rookie Purefoods squad have all gone into coaching.

Glenn Capacio found success as head tactician for his alma mater Far Eastern University and as an assistant at Letran, KIA, and De La Salle University.

Jerry Codinera learned his coaching chops while serving as an assistant to Aboy Castro over at UP before guiding his alma mater, the University of the East, and lately, Arellano University.

Joj o Last i m osa worked previously with Alaska and is now with FEU.

And the last of that celebrated batch, Alvin Patrimonio, has worked as a consultant with the University of Santo Tomas and recently, NU.

Technically, Patrimonio, who played for Mapua in the NCAA and his entire 17-year pro career with Purefoods, was a consultant and never sat on the bench. With the resignation of Altamirano from NU, Patrimonio, who was a consultant, was not renewed for his role – at press time – given the coaching change. I figure that Patrimonio would be a very good coach for a team that needs his services. He’s been a player, a team consultant, and team manager and that gives a unique insight in understanding the game from all key areas.

He’s won championships with Purefoods. He played for some of the best coaches in the business – Joe Lipa, Robert Jaworksi, Baby Dalupan, Chot Reyes, and Eric Altamirano to name a few.

Furthermore, he also had a front row seat while observing Tim Cone when he led San Mig Coffee to a Grand Slam.

A person close to Patrimonio yet refuses to be named says, “Alvin can pass on to his players his skills as a player. He has always had a heart to win and to give 100% for his team. Alvin can bring his untarnished record as a player and manager.

He wasn’t called 'Captain Lionheart' for nothing. He also holds I think the most consecutive games played in the PBA, meaning he gives his heart in each and every game. He plays even when hurt. His reputation and name will be a big help in recruiting for any program be it in the college ranks or in the pros.”

I’ll say that’s a good resume coming from one of the PBA’s Greatest 40 Pl ayer s.

This guy should be given a shot. The

National Basketball Association (NBA) and union representing its players have reached a tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, the two sides said on Wednesday.

In order to give each side enough time to review the deal, the NBA and NBA Players Association agreed to extend its mutual deadline to opt out of the existing CBA, which was Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET (0459 GMT), to Jan. 13.

Specific terms of the tentative labor deal will be made available at a later date, the two sides said in a joint statement.

Had either side opted out of the current 10-year agreement and failed to reach a new deal by July 1 the league would have faced its first work stoppage since a five-month lockout cut short the 201112 season.

The league and union had made significant progress on the main points of contention and the only remaining work over the last few weeks dealt mostly with the finishing touches.

Recent reports have said features of the new deal include a more detailed domestic-violence policy, tweaks to the drug-testing procedure and a shortened preseason that offers flexibility with regular season scheduling and could lead to more days off between games.

The negotiations were in stark contrast to 2011 when talks collapsed, triggering the lockout and tit-for-tat anti-trust legal action that ultimately cost both sides millions of dollars.

The agreement comes with the NBA at an alltime high in terms of popularity and both sides fully aware that another work stoppage would not have benefited anyone.

Earlier this year Forbes said the average NBA team's value rose to $1.25 billion, a jump of 13 percent from the prior year that was driven primarily by media and sponsorship deals being renewed at double or even quadruple the previous amounts.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Steve Keating) - abscbn