Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Even in his time at the helm of University of Santo Tomas, every post-game press conference with Pido Jarencio is something reporters look forward to because of his comedic persona.
And it’s no surprise that the GlobalPort coach Jarencio also brings that same jovial vibe of his in practices and games.
Late in the game between the Batang Pier and Kia on Wednesday was another testament to Jarencio’s beaming demeanor that radiates to his players and creates a buddy-buddy kind of relationship with them.
At the 1:37 mark of the fourth quarter and GlobalPort was on its way to victory, Jarencio let one of his veterans Ryan Araña call the shots during a timeout.
“We all know that coach is a very cool coach. He’s like your buddy on the court and even in practice. So during our huddle, I sat on the bench, gave me the board and told me to draw the last play for Stanley (Pringle),” Araña recalled in Filipino.
“So I drew up a play and everyone was listening and that’s the good thing about this team. We can poke fun at coach Pido but at the same time, we respect him a lot so that’s our advantage over other teams because we have that kind of relationship with our coach.”
Pringle went on to score on a free throw off the play that Araña mapped out en route to the Batang Pier taking a 108-91 victory, their fifth in 10 games as they enhanced their bid to clinch a playoff spot.
“We were able to score but it wasn’t exactly the play that I drew up and Stanley was subbed out after so I got mad a little bit in the corner and I saw coach Pido and he was just laughing at me,” Araña said smiling.
Araña also described Jarencio as always optimistic and isn’t fond of dwelling on the past.
“He always gives us long breaks. Not actually long breaks but like two days off. And we don’t want to abuse that and instead, we want to repay that gesture by playing our best and so far, the result has been good,” he said.
Jarencio is far removed from his coaching days in college, but it doesn’t seem like it.
“They’re play around and the way they treat each other is like they’re still college players. But when it’s time to work, they do their jobs,” he said in Filipino.