MANILA, 10 January 2003 — Flamboyant Alfrancis Chua is taking over from his long-time friend Norman Black as head coach of the Sta. Lucia Realty marking the first of the year’s big moves in the coming Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season.
After a series of talks following Black’s departure, Sta. Lucia Realty team manager Buddy Encarnado announced Chua’s acceptance of the job that was left vacant after the multititled Black was given his walking papers.
Encarnado said he had finally convinced Chua, who served as consultant under Black, to handle the Realtors.
“It took me some time to convince him (Chua). Ultimately, he saw the merits of my proposal and accepted it,” said Encarnado, who also sits as team governor for the Realtors.
Encarnado said he wants “an aggressive, quick Sta. Lucia team” and needs “to infuse new blood and provide a new image.”
“In light of the new directions the team wants to take and because of the current competition, we have to make a decision to pursue a more aggressive style of basketball,” said Encarnado. “We want to upgrade and better ourselves. We want to fire up our players and take a new direction and need somebody who could harness their energy and talents.”
PBA fans often criticized the lack of intensity of multi-millionaire players, such as center Marlou Aquino as one of the min reasons for the disappointing performance of the Realtors, who were regarded as title contenders at the start of the 2002 season despite the loss of Dennis Espino to the national team.
Encarnado, who mediated in a well-publicized and bitter contract settlement between Chua and Tanduay, believes they made the right choice.
“A talent like that is needed in the PBA. Fans deserve a character as animated, as aggressive, as Alfrancis. We cannot help but look to Alfrancis Chua as the man who would be able to lead the team to the direction we want to go,” he noted.
Encarnado is confident Chua, a former Santo Tomas varsity player who made Tanduay’s amateur team the most successful in PBL history, would inject new life to a tall and talented team that has largely underachieved through the years.
Encarnado officially informed Black, the American mentor who had long considered the Philippines home, that his three-year contract that expired at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31 will not be renewed in a move that stunned the PBA basketball community and surprised Black himself. But that didn’t stop him from taking the news as positively as he could.
“We met and I was informed that my contract was not to be extended. I’m just a little bit disappointed but that’s part of the business. I just have to be professional about it. Your job isn’t really stable when you’re a coach,” said Black.
Actually, Chua made a gallant effort to have Black, his bosom buddy who recommended him to become team consultant midway in the 2001 season, retained, either as consultant or one of the assistant coaches.
“He tried to make a case for coach Norman and he asked us to consider his request,” Encarnado revealed, “but I told him that if we have to make a change, it would have to be with a clean slate and he understood that.”
Black, a former PBA import with 10 titles tucked under his belt, including a grand slam for San Miguel Beer in 1989, gave the Realtors their first PBA crown at the 2001 Governors Cup after 10 frustrating seasons.
One of the most affable personalities in the pro league, Black joined the team before the 2000 season and promptly steered the Realtors to a runner-up finish in the Commissioner’s Cup that year.
The Realtors ended their nine-year title-drought- the longest in the league- with a victory in the Governors Cup the following year. But Black’s last season with the team was pockmarked by advances beyond the eliminations as the Realtors blew a twice-to-win advantage over eventual runner-up Talk ‘N’Text in the quarterfinals and ultimately wound up fifth.
Before his move to Sta. Lucia, Black called the shots for Pop Cola, the franchise that Coca-Cola bought last year.
He also coached Tanduay Rhum, which he guided to several PBL championships, from 1999 to 2000. The Tanduay franchise was later sold to FedEx.
In all, Black, the all-time rebounding leader among imports, has won 10 league titles. For the record, Black has one of the most glowing careers in the pro league, both as coach and player.
Black has 10 titles as a coach, sharing the No. 2 position with Tim Cone in the all-time list behind the 15 of the legendary Baby Dalupan. He also was one of Robert Jaworski’s assistants in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing and was coach of the 1994 Asiad team that finished fourth in Hiroshima.
As a player, the ex-Detroit Piston, who started with Tefilin in 1981, went on to post career records in scoring and rebounding that still stands to this day. The 100 performance award he won in 1983 with Great Taste best spoke of his work ethic as a player.
But for Black, who was the first among only two players to win the coveted Mr. 100 Percent Award for his intensity and integrity on the hardcourt, there’s life after Sta. Lucia Realty.
As a matter of fact, Black is not closing the door on another coaching job. After all, even though he has been coaching for 17 years, he’s just 45.
“Coaching is my main job,” he said. “If you win one or two titles, then maybe it is luck. But if you’ve won 10, then maybe you really do have something. I’m quite sure another door would open.”
Unless another coaching offer comes around, he plans to return to television coverage of the games, a job he used to handle with aplomb in the past. He stressed he doesn’t have plans to pack up and return to the United States, adding he considers the Philippines his second home.
“I feel like a Filipino and I’m not going anywhere,” said Black, who is married to a Filipina. Black said he’ll try to remain involved in basketball – as a consultant or hopefully get back to broadcasting.
“I consider myself Filipino already, I live here and I have a family here so I’m not going to run to the United States after this. I’ll stay in the picture so I’ll be around when another opportunity comes along,” said Black. “I’m going to stay around, latch on to the television coverage maybe, stay active and hope to have more opportunities to work in basketball. As they always say, when one door closes, another one opens.”
Chua entered the league as an assistant to Black at Pop Cola in the late 90s before steering returning member Tanduay Rhum, which he guided to several PBL championships, from 1999 to 2000. The Tanduay franchise was later sold to FedEx.
Tanduay’s sudden disbandment led to a bitter contract dispute between Chua and the team management, which Encarnado helped resolve. Encarnado also endorsed the appointment of Chua as consultant, on Black’s recommendation, midway in 2001.
Encarnado stressed the decision to let go of Black, who piloted the Realtors to two franchise milestones, including a first-ever title, since taking over the team in 2000 was nothing personal.
He said the decision was “painful and regrettable because it’s tough to part with somebody who has endeared himself to me especially since Norman is a fine gentleman.”
“It is regrettable that we have to let go of coach Norman. He took us to new heights,” said Encarnado. “But just like other teams we have to keep upgrading. Besides, this is a new direction we want to achieve and we hope Chua would take us there.”
Black couldn’t conceal his disappointment over the stunning developments as he admitted that he has some grudge with Sta. Lucia management.
“I’m a little bit disappointed I haven’t been given any reason why my contract was not renewed. And the news coming this late,” he said. For Black, part of the disappointment was of getting the pink slip after what he felt was a successful three-year stint with the Realtors, having led the franchise to two finals appearances and a first-ever championship during that span.
“The good thing was that I was able to accomplish all my goals when I came in. At least I had my success here. We accomplished things this team has never accomplished before – we made it to the finals twice and we won our first-ever championship.
“Because of that, I may never understand this decision. But then again, they may have their reasons,” he said.
Black, who in three years led the Realtors to two finals appearances, said that he first inquired about his future with the team after winding up their All-Filipino Cup stint last Dec. 11.
“They told me I just have to wait until Jan. 3. I had no inkling this would be the way things would turn out. Other than those, the three-year relationship was fun while it lasted,” he said. “Basically, we accomplished the goals that we set out to do. We had a runner-up finish and we had a championship. I remain most happy with the opportunity they gave me.”
Indeed, Encarnado said the decision was a hard one to make – the reason team management couldn’t give Black a definite answer when he first asked about his chances of getting a contract extension on Dec. 11. “We took some time to make decision because it was that difficult, that we simply cannot arrive at it at the flip of a hat,” he said. At the same time, Encarnado denied Chua asked for the job, saying his decision to tap him had the blessings of Sta. Lucia Realty top officials.
“We were the ones who made the offer to Chua. Before that, he never once talked to management directly or indirectly. Throughout the time he has been with the team, he was very professional.”
Yet, it took some time before Chua bit the bait offered by Sta. Lucia Realty to take over the coaching job. Chua was being offered three years at the least to guide the Realtors.
Encarnado stressed that Chua “did not seek the position and I had a hard time convincing him to accept the position because of his respect for his former mentor and friend.” However, Encarnado asked Chua “why lose the chance to reap and harvest what you’ve helped sow and let somebody else get it?”
In the end Chua accepted the challenge.
