‘Coaching is like politics’: No exchange of pleasantries between Ayo, Gonzales

Aldin Ayo and Louie Gonzales were almost inseparable since they both worked as assistant coaches in the Kia bench in the PBA.

Both would move on to Colegio de San Juan de Letran with Ayo holding the head coach’s seat and Gonzales as the assistant.

From 2015 to 2017 the two won one NCAA title and another UAAP title with De La Salle, but that friendship looks to have ended when they parted ways in 2018.

READ: UAAP: La Salle destroys UST in first game against Ayo

Ayo, now the head coach of University of Santo Tomas, said he and Gonzales, now in charge of De La Salle’s bench, haven’t spoken to each other.

“No, I don’t talk to him anymore,” said Ayo of Gonzales after UST’s 99-72 loss to La Salle in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The game between the Growling Tigers and the Green Archers were the first time the former colleagues faced each other since Ayo left La Salle in 2017.

Ayo added that he didn’t even extend any words after the game was over and both benches greeted each other for some post-game handshakes.

READ: Looming UST-La Salle clash just a regular game for coaches Ayo, Gonzales

“I didn’t tell him anything, I didn’t speak to him,” said Ayo, who is a city councilor in Sorsogon, in Filipino. “Coaching for me is like politics. You’re with each other if you have the same goal, if you have the same interests. But if there’s a conflict in your interests then it becomes different, it’s that simple.”

As for Gonzales, he just shrugged off any storyline that involves Ayo and instead focused on the game at hand.

La Salle improved to a 3-2 card to maintain in the top half of the ladder while the Growling Tigers dropped to 1-4 and tied University of the East at the no.8 spot.

“We all know how a coach works, be it against Aldin or anyone, we’re here to win,” said Gonzales in Filipino. “My treatment is the same for anybody and all I want is to win and I want my team to compete.”