MANILA---Some says he's just lucky. But for his squad, Coach Ato Agustin is a natural.
It's not so much about the elabortate X-and-O's that make this rookie pro coach, who made wonders in San Sebastian, such a force in the sidelines.
It is actually Agustin's laid back demeanor that has served San Miguel Beer in good stead.
“In a crazy end game situation, he's still calm,” the Beermen's starting forward, Jay Washington, told the Inquirer, counting the numerous occasions where San Miguel found themselves needing saving down-the-wire.
“When I look at him at the sidelines and I see him that way, it rubs off on me. It makes me mellow out and calm down and helps me focus.”
Agustin, branded as a "player's coach" by his troops, can hardly be seen spewing angry words in the face of squandering double digit leads.
In fact, Agustin will just let out a small smile of frustration, then will go back bellowing instructions to the players in the court until they get back to their senses.
“He's never in your face. He talks to you, you know,” added Washington.
And more often than not, it works wonders on the star-studded line up of the Beermen, who finished second place in the eliminations of the on-going PBA Philippine Cup.
“We've all responded well to his coaching. He knows how to motivate his players,” said Washington, a thought also echoed by Alex Cabagnot, who, Agustin said, is a mirror of himself during his heyday.
"(He reminds me of myself) the way he makes those clutch baskets," shyly answered Agustin after Cabagnot hit back-to-back game winners in the elims.
A second-round pick who came to the rescue of the ailing Beermen in the early 90s and eventually blossomed to one of PBA's Top 25 Players of all time, Agustin admits to being a student of the game. And the one lesson he learned well was that getting on his players' cases may be counterproductive.
"I was a player too. I've been there. I understand that they don't mean to make mistakes. I just let them play their game. I just assist, ” said Agustin, who in his first year in coaching led the Stags to a championship in the NCAA against a powerhouse San Beda team.
Agustin admits that coaching a professional team is easier.
"They're very easy to teach because they already know most of the plays."
Technically, he does have pretty decent tricks up his sleeves, too.
“Every time he has [an unexpected substitute]—whether a few seconds or an entire quarter—[the player]always quality minutes,” said team captain and veteran point guard Olsen Racela, who is playing his last conference in the PBA.
In danger of sending the game to a free-for-all game seven, Agustin made crucial changes in the line up with only a few ticks left in the game clock that ultimately spelled the difference in that series en route to a semifinals victory over Ginebra.
“He may be inexperienced in years, but the way he coaches says otherwise. He has great trust in his players and we give it back to him with the way we play,” said Racela.
And in the best-of-seven finals series starting today, the former Most Valuable Player is now trusted to quench the thirst of San Miguel for an All-Filipino title against a highly accomplished coach like Chot Reyes, who is definitely not new to the pressure of winning a title.
“I know I'm the underdog (in the coaching battle), but I'm going to do my homework,” confidently said Agustin, who will be meeting with Reyes only for the first time this conference.
Agustin has already made a name for himself even just for making it to the finals, but even he knows that the work doesn't stop.
"Although I feel like I've already won a champion, It's not yet finished. We still have a mission," he finished.
Celest Flores, Phil. Daily Inquirer
