Fortunato "Atoy" Co has long retired from playing basketball, but he is still very much living the game as now head coach of the Mapua Cardinals.
In Chino Trinidad's report on "24 Oras," the "Fortune Cookie" talked about how he fell in love with hoops as a boy in Daet, Camarines Norte.
Co said the very first time he touched a basketball, it was just a small non-regulation ball. And yet, it sparked something inside him.
"Parang ang sarap-sarap ng feeling pag hawak ko 'yung bola," he said. "Basta there's a certain feel. Parang kumakain ka ng masarap na caldereta o kumakain ka ng lechon."
That love led him to become a better player and get noticed by Cardinals coach Amang Lopez back when he played for the Philippine Cultural High School.
Playing for Mapua in college, he found success in the NCAA after bagging back-to-back Most Valuable Player trophies in 1970 and 1971.
He eventually became one of the 40 Greatest Players of the PBA. Now, as coach, he is sharing the wisdom he has learned in his career towards the younger generation of players.
"To become a good basketball player, madalas sa school, first in last out," said Co, who played for the Crispa Redmanizers and Great Taste.
"Wala na 'yung team, naliligo na sila, nandudun ako sa labas ng gym, kukuha ako ng rattan chair. I'll put a rattan chair in front of me [and practice shooting]," he added.
Co will try to get his wards ready to challenge powerhouse teams San Beda and Letran this coming NCAA season, which will air on GMA Network next year.
—MGP, GMA News
