Coaching at Fiba World Cup highlight of Yeng Guiao’s career

National team head coach Yeng Guiao oversees Gilas Pilipinas practice at Meralco Gym. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Of all of his accolades throughout his celebrated coaching career, Yeng Guiao ranks his latest accomplishment as his most momentous one yet.

Guiao is set to steer the Philippine national basketball team to the Fiba World Cup, marking just the second time in the last 45 years that the country is participating in the prestigious basketball meet.

“It’s not one of the highlights, I think this is the highlight. Even if don’t advance, it’s still going to be the highlight,” Guiao told reporters Wednesday.

“There’s not too many coaches who can say that they’ve coached at the World Cup or at the world class level like this opportunity. You’ll never know also when you’re coming back, you’ll never know if next year you’ll still be here or if you’ll still have these players. Anything can happen. We all know the situation in coaching. Today you’re here, tomorrow you might not be here anymore so I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and try to get the most out of it,” he added.

Guiao tried his hand in coaching in 1990 an made a career out of developing unheralded players into household names. He’s also known for his unfiltered and fiery nature along the sidelines.

His unconventional style won him seven PBA championships and two PBA Coach of the Year awards.

But for the 60-year-old Guiao, nothing beats coaching for flag and country especially at the world stage.

“I’m excited and at the same time I’m feeling some of the pressure already. I’m looking forward to just competing against the best in the world and it feels surreal right now just by saying that,” he said.

“It’s also something we can be proud of as Filipinos and for the PBA as a league that means the league is able to produce players of the caliber enough to compete at the world level.”

Guiao, who replaced Chot Reyes at Gilas Pilipinas’ helm in August of last year, makes his Fiba World Cup debut when Gilas Pilipinas takes on Italy on Saturday.