PBA coach Yeng Guiao. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Throughout his three decades of coaching, Yeng Guiao has taken some of the PBA’s best talents under his tutelage.
Among those players, there are five who shone the brightest in Guiao’s eyes.
He first named Vergel Meneses, lauding the flashy guard for his brilliance on the offensive end.
“He (Meneses) is very talented,” said the NLEX head coach during the Hoop Coaches International webinar in a story on the PBA website.
“You just give him the ball, and not settle for any plays. He’ll make you look good.”
The 6-foot-3 Meneses, a three-time PBA champion and one-time MVP, and Guiao shared a PBA title in 1993 with Swift.
Apart from Meneses, Guiao named two other former PBA greats whom he also coached who left lasting imprints.
“Then I guess it’s Nelson (Asaytono), and I’ve already said numerous times, si Willie Miller,” said Guiao, the seven-time champion who began his coaching career with Swift in 1990.
Asaytono won two championships with Guiao at Swift, including in 1993 in Meneses’ first year with the franchise. The versatile forward went on to win seven PBA titles overall.
The two-time MVP Miller and Guiao, meanwhile, helped Red Bull win back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup titles in 2001 and 2002.
A pair of active players in Magnolia’s Paul Lee and NLEX’s Kiefer Ravena round out Guiao’s list of the top five players he’s coached.
Guiao coached Lee during their time at Rain or Shine where they both won two titles.
The coach, though, said naming just the top five among all the players he’s coached won’t do justice given the number of stars he’s mentored and continue to work with.
“It’s tough because I’ll be unfair to a lot of my good players. So I hope they forgive me for this one.” the former Philippine team coach said.