MANILA—There were no hard feelings, mostly just the eerie familiarity of the Derby Ace Llamados finally crossing paths with former coach Ryan Gregorio for the first time–with each sitting on opposite poles of the war zone that is the hard court.
The defending All-Filipino champions drew the most out of that meeting snapping out of a 0-3 rout in front of the eyes of their former mentor.
“We were all motivated to play. We wanted to show him (Coach Ryan) that we needed this win,” said Roger Yap, the Llamados starting guard who played five years under the tutelage of Gregorio.
The Llamados scored a 75-71 victory over Gregorio’s Meralco Bolts, with Roger leading away after realizing he knew what the guys on the other end of the court were saying–an inside knowledge one gets when playing for half a decade under the same system.
“I know Coach Ryan more, so I recognized most of their plays earlier,” said the 33-year-old guard from Cebu.
Aside from the recognition, Roger said he also felt a tinge of sadness.
“Lagi ko namang sinasabi sa kanya dati na magtulong tulong lang kami. Yun nga lang bigla siya lumipat,” said Yap, who is still expected to deliver his A-game under neophyte coach Jorge Gallent.
“He (Coach Ryan) helped a lot as a player and and gave me the confidence that I needed,” said Yap.
James Yap, on the other hand, admitted it took a little getting used to before warming up to the idea that the coach who brought the best out of him was now devising ways to stop him.
“Nakakapanibago,” shared Yap, who in fact, is playing with a new coach for the first time since he joined the PBA in 2004.
Yap remembers how Gregorio used to draw up plays to free him up to knock down those clutch and patented off-balanced jumpers.
“I overheard them earlier that they plan to really stick with me throughout the game,” said the six-foot-three sharpshooter in Filipino. “Of course he knows how I play.”
The two-time MVP and three-time Coach of the Year weaved magic through the years, combining for several finals appearances and two PBA Philippine Cup titles—the last of which the Llamados and Yap are out to defend without Gregorio.
And Gregorio is now part of a field trying to knock off what he helped achieve last year.
“I’m not part of that franchise anymore.”
“When I made the decision to switch, I braced myself for situations like this,” he said. “Eight years is such a long time—the memories are there—but we all have to move forward.”
And for him, seeing the players whom he ran scrimmages with for the last eight years make a name for themselves—even if it ultimately sent the Bolts to their third straight defeat—still brings pride.
“It was a tough loss. But I’m happy to see my former players really develop into major players in the PBA,”
James Yap, too, knows that it’s time to move on.
“It’s really a part of basketball. You never sure where you’re going to end up,” said James, before adding: “All I can say is, there’s no James Yap without Coach Ryan.”
Told of that comment, Gregorio also paid tribute to his former chief gunner and the other Llamados.
“There would be no Ryan Gregorio without players like James Yap,” he finished. With reports from Mark Vincent C. Giongco