Gavina takes Mahindra to new heights
Mahindra is enjoying its best start ever in a PBA conference as rookie interim head coach Chris Gavina has piloted the Enforcers to a 3-0 record so far in the Governors Cup and the former L’Oreal formulation chemist said yesterday he’s more gratified than surprised by how the team has performed to get to the next level.
Gavina, a licensed strength and conditioning coach, said he never expected to take over Mahindra’s helm when Chito Victolero resigned last April. “I was definitely surprised when I was appointed during a management meeting,” he said. “I’d been coaching club teams throughout the year, working with players, so that sort of groomed me. It’s a great challenge. With coach Rob (Wainwright) and the rest of the staff, I wanted to develop a culture of accountability, to set standards of performance. I’m a big Bruce Lee fan and I like the approach of flowing like water, reading situations and taking from other coaches to do what we do best. An example was when we beat GlobalPort in our second game. We studied what Ginebra did in beating GlobalPort and we adapted it to suit our style. That’s basically my philosophy, a confluence of what I pick up from the best coaches out there and I’m a big fan of Erik Spoelstra, Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr. I was recently in Orlando and I also picked up a lot from coach Stan Van Gundy.”
Gavina said the Enforcers wouldn’t be where they are now if not for the support of management, the inputs of the coaching staff and the hard work of the players. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, that would be a first for our franchise,” he said. “I know there’s no job security in coaching, whether you’re in the PBA or NBA. There’s always pressure in any job. I’m used to it. I worked seven years at L’Oreal in the US and had to always perform at a high level. The key is not to let the pressure overwhelm you, to take it one task at a time.”
Gavina said players who’ve stepped up to reap the rewards of working hard in the offseason are John Pinto, Paolo Taha and Keith Agovida. “When (Karl) Dehesa left, Pinto filled the spot,” he said. “Agovida and Taha give us a different dynamic in their approach of attack. KG (Canaleta) and Aldrech (Ramos) are the core of our local group. Rob and I told Aldrech to lead by example even if he’s not much of a talker and KG has embraced his role as our offensive threat and he’s also picked up his energy on defense. Then, there’s LA (Revilla) who’s the coach’s extension on the court. I trust his insights and judgment and I always ask him what it’s like out there on the court as a guide for me to make my coaching decisions.”
Gavina said Mahindra’s mindset is to treat every game like a playoff. “We want extreme focus,” he said. “Our approach is we try to take away one thing the other team does best. We study a lot of film and stats to determine what that one thing is. We want to raise the level of our consistency, to be well-prepared for every game.”
Although the Enforcers’ James White is the youngest import in town at 23, Gavina said he’s mature for his age. “He has the talent to take us to the next level,” said Gavina. “He’s always talking to his teammates, motivating them to work harder. We want to nurture his mentality. Our Asian import Iman (Mashaddy) is an experienced vet and a great shooter. For the minutes he has on the floor, we expect him to make an impact with his shooting.”
Gavina said consultant Joe Lipa is another major reason for Mahindra’s early success. “We learn a lot from coach Joe, his inputs on our flow or motion offense, our defensive tactics,” he said. “We value his wisdom and his openness in thinking out of the box.”
Gavina said he’s dedicating his coaching career to his father Sonny who died of complications from pneumonia last year. “My dad always pushed me to be the best I could be and now, I realize how valuable that was,” he said. “He was a big basketball fan and introduced me to the PBA. I was born here but my parents took me to Jersey when I was only three. I took up chemical biology at Stevens Institute of Technology then worked for L’Oreal. I decided to try my luck in basketball and went back to the Philippines in 2008. I played in Liga Pilipinas, first for coach Oliver Bunyi with the Quezon Red Oilers then for coach Al Solis with the Landmasters in Mandaue. Coach Al was tough and taught me discipline and the importance of hard work. He gave me the opportunity to translate all that to prepare me for coaching.”