From player to coach: LA Tenorio on his basketball journey

LA Tenorio is undoubtedly one of the country’s most famous basketball stars of his generation.

Since being drafted in 2006, Tenorio has won seven PBA championships, including the recently-concluded 2022 Governors’ Cup. He was also part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that made history in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

On top of all that, Tenorio is also a coach, joining the NCAA's Letran Knights as an assistant coach in 2019, though he was not able to be present this season due to the strict bubble protocols that would not have allowed him to come in and out while the PBA was still ongoing.

He has come a long way since the humble beginnings of his long, stellar basketball journey.

"I started playing basketball nung... 6 years old ako but Grade 2 ako nag-start maging member ng isang team sa Don Bosco Makati, tapos from there dire-diretso na ako," Tenorio said on the “Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel” podcast.

From there, the Batangas native went on to play for some of the most esteemed programs, like the San Beda Red Cubs juniors program under the legendary coach Ato Badolato and the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles during his collegiate years.

After that, he went to accomplish many things in both the pros and the international scene.

He is still a terrific player at age 37 — he just scored a game-high 30 points in his team's title-clinching Game 6 win over the Meralco Bolts less than two weeks ago — but he knows his experience has been hard-earned over the years.

"May tinatawag na mileage ng isang player... On my part, parang doon sa 37 years old ko, dami kong nagawa eh. For the national team diba, nag-practice kami for national team, we tour around the world for the national team and then after that you have to come back and play for the our mother teams. Actually, yung ganung ginagawa, it's not easy."

Now he is trying to share his wisdom with the new generation in Letran, though he admits he finds this more difficult that just playing the game himself.

"Actually, mahirap maging coach talaga," Tenorio said. "Kumbaga, kahit you are part of the coaching staff lang, ang hirap kasi siyempre, especially on my part, parang nakikita pa nila ako naglalaro eh. So what I teach to them, kailangan makita rin nila 'yun kapag napapanood ako, di ba?"

Beyond that, he says that the commitment to the players extends beyond the basketball court.

"It's hard, it's hard kasi you have to really be committed to all the players and you really have to teach and make sure that you know lahat ng mga ginagawa ng mga bata ay tama," he added.

"And you know, aside from basketball, it's also their personal lives and you have to deal with their personal lives, and of course, academics."

Listen to the whole conversation with Tenorio on "Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel" which you can stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

—JMB, GMA News