MANILA, Philippines—Ranidel de Ocampo was one of his generation’s best power forwards having earned several accolades for both the club and national level.
A former Gilas mainstay, de Ocampo has since retired from competitive play and is now part of the TNT coaching staff where he plans to become a hands-on teacher to another promising forward in Troy Rosario.
Ocampo said he sees his younger self in the versatile 6-foot-7 forward, who has already made a name for himself as one of the stars of his generation.
“I remember my playing days when I look at him, we have the same playing style,” said de Ocampo in Filipino as per PBA.ph. “That’s why I like it when I’m with the team so I can be with him again.”
Rosario and de Ocampo were actually teammates during the former’s first two years in the league but the two had to go their separate ways when the older big man was traded to Meralco where he eventually retired in 2019.
Both Rosario and de Ocampo have shown that they can play both outside and inside as stretch 4s and the two have a similar shooting percentage from deep that reach the high 30s.
This similarity is what drew de Ocampo to Rosario who is 10 years his junior.
“I want to have my own impact with them, but I don’t want people to say that he’s like a ‘Ranidel de Ocampo version something,’” said de Ocampo. “I want to help him be his own man.”
De Ocampo, however, doesn’t just want to focus on Rosario as he also wants to train the KaTropa’s other big man Poy Erram.
“I want to guide those guys, like Poy and the other players,” said de Ocampo. “I think that’s where I’ll start with my coaching.”