Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Former PBA coach Chris Gavina admits that if the opportunity comes knocking, he won’t hesitate to accept the head coaching job in University of the East.
But for now, he’s still keeping his options open.
“Let’s just say it was presented to me,” he shared on Friday after coaching in the 2018 Darlington NBTC Division 1 All-Star Game.
“Am I gonna take it? I mean the opportunity is there. I’m never one to just not be open to see my options. I’m all about winning. If I feel as if it’s an opportunity for me to turn a program or culture around like I have been in Team Valenzuela for the MPBL, coaching is all about being able to make an impact on young players’ lives, so if I get that opportunity, then I’ll definitely consider it.”
Gavina has emerged as of the contenders to take over for the Red Warriors post after getting into talks with some of the school’s officials last week.
But the former Kia mentor clarified that he hasn’t accepted anything yet as his focus remains with the Valenzuela Classic in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
“There’s no formal acceptance. It’s just been a conversation. Like I said, it was presented to me. There hasn’t been any formal offer or anything. They said, I’m high on their list. Just for me to consider being able to take it is really humbling,” he said. “But my concentration right now is on our team to move to the semis. I’ll be able to think about it over the Holy Week, hopefully.”
UE, however, has Paulo Hubalde on its side as the guard has been vehemently persuading Gavina to take the job, which has definitely piqued the Fil-Am mentor’s interest.
“I’ve been really asking about the program. Paulo Hubalde is one of my players in Team Valenzuela and he’s really breaking down of how culture was back then and how things have kinda changed,” he said. “He’s trying to push me towards the direction of taking it. It’s kinda a one-sided conversation with him. Like I said, I’m weighing out a lot of options and see where we’ll go from there.”
Gavina ended: “It’s just a matter of really just timing. If I had really the time to just focus on that, I think I’d be able to make a quicker decision. But with the MPBL playoffs going on, I kind of spending a lot of time with game preparation. One thing at a time.”