MANILA, Philippines—It’s no secret that San Miguel Beer will have a new coach in the next Philippine Basketball Association season, and the choice has narrowed down between Ato Agustin and Gee Abanilla.
Agustin and Abanilla both temporarily replaced Siot Tanquingcen as head coach in separate phases of the recent Fiesta Conference, and both performed well, considering that they were given the duties on short notice.
A source who declined to be named said that the San Miguel management will announce its choice before the Beermen open camp on Sept. 15.
Agustin, a former MVP and member of the league’s 25 greatest players, called the shots for a couple of games in the elimination round when the Beermen struggled, while Abanilla won Game 5 before losing Game 6 of the best-of-seven title series to Alaska last Wednesday.
In a related development, two-time MVP Willie Miller has reportedly agreed in principle to a fresh two-year deal with Barangay Ginebra for a maximum monthly salary of P350,000.
With no first-round selection in the Draft scheduled Aug. 29, San Miguel is actually in no rush to name its new mentor.
But the same source said Agustin would have taken over from Tanquingcen early in the last conference, except that he had a commitment to coach San Sebastian in the NCAA.
Agustin’s pact with the Stags will run until the end of the next NCAA season, and management said it won’t stand in the way of San Sebastian’s campaign.
The 1992 PBA MVP, Agustin—in his rookie season at the helm—won four titles for the Stags last year, including the NCAA.
Tanquingcen, meanwhile, is said to be planning to rejoin Jong Uichico at Ginebra and relive a partnership that brought many successes to San Miguel early in the decade.
Despite a star-studded lineup, San Miguel failed to make the Finals of the Philippine Cup won by Purefoods. It also lost in six games to the Aces in the Fiesta Conference title series.
Derby Ace/Purefoods, the third team under the San Miguel umbrella in the league, already named George Gallent as its new coach after long-time mentor Ryan Gregorio left for a lucrative offer from new PBA member Meralco.
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