WHAT A RIDE
ANTIPOLO—Ronald Tubid may be listed in the record books as the head coach of Terrafirma. But after winning his first game in his new career in the PBA, he insists the role is a shared responsibility.
“There’s no head coach here. We’re all head coaches here,” Tubid said after the Dyip’s 97-91 upset of the NLEX Road Warriors on Sunday in the Philippine Cup at Ynares Center here.
Terrafirma savored its entry into the win column after being hammered by Blackwater by 20 two nights earlier in Rodriguez, the town still known informally by its old name, Montalban.
It certainly was worth savoring.
After all, no one would have expected that Terrafirma, the team that was in several talks for the sale of its franchise, would win against an NLEX squad riding the high of an upset win over defending champion San Miguel Beer.
But here we are. Terrafirma rode on a stirring performance of unheralded rookie JM Bravo, the sixth-round pick in last month’s Draft out of Lyceum of the Philippines, plus a crucial basket from Jerrick Ahanmisi that sealed the deal for the Dyip.
It was the franchise’s first victory since starting off last season’s Philippine Cup with a win, snapping a string of 11 consecutive defeats.
Tubid was a victor in just his second game since being tapped to call the shots for the franchise that endured uncertainties over failed sale negotiations. It couldn’t beat out NorthPort in that department, with the Batang Pier selling of their squad to the new team Titan Ultra.
But the coaching setup at Terrafirma is pragmatic, with assistants Jeff Napa and Jaren Jarencio providing their inputs, even more so than Tubid.
Napa rushed from guiding National University to the win over La Salle in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball competitions at University of Santo Tomas’ Quadricentennial Pavilion, and arrived in time for the second half.
At times, Napa could be seen drawing up plays during a timeout. Jarencio, the son of Terrafirma team governor and UST coach Pido, also handled timeouts with Tubid, seemingly more content managing the team.
Tubid prefers such a collaborative approach.
“There’s no specific role between us as coaches. We’re more of helping each other out, which is a better working setup,” he said.
Bravo had 18 points and eight rebounds in a performance that was special for the player who, in last season’s NCAA campaign, endured a scary incident that knocked him unconscious during a game.
Ahanmisi scored 14 in a performance that seemed to indicate that the former Magnolia backup guard could capitalize on the chance of playing more minutes.
NLEX blew an opportunity to be the first team to win two games in the eliminations, falling to 1-1 despite 14 points and 11 rebounds from JB Bahio.
