By REYNALD MAGALLON
LA Tenorio is set to become the new head coach of Magnolia after a coaching shuffle that would see an end to the nine-year coaching reigns of former mentor Chito Victolero.
A source said Tenorio was the top choice for the job and was later on confirmed by San Miguel Sports Director Alfrancis Chua in a report by Spin.ph.
Wth the move, Tenorio is relinquishing his post as an assistant coach at Barangay Ginebra. His appointment also meant meant that Tenorio had played his final game as a player when the Kings got eliminated by the eventual champions San Miguel Beermen in the Game 7 of the Philippine Cup semifinals.
Tenorio, however, was best remembered for his Game 6 heroics in that series, draining a clutch triple in the waning seconds to send the affair to a rubber match.
A source said that another Kings deputy coach Richard del Rosario was also in the equation although the management ultimately decided on having Tenorio as its new head coach.
He will also have the freedom to choose his own coaching staff, according to the report.
Tenorio’s appointment mark the end of the coaching reign of Victolero, who is largely criticized by fans for repeatedly falling short of a title despite having a potent Magnolia lineup.
Aside from the head coach change, assistant coach Jason Webb is also set to be elevated to a higher role as the team governor in lieu of the team’s current representative in the PBA board Rene Pardo, the source added.
The 41-year-old great isn’t entirely stranger to coaching having been a playing assistant coach for Ginebra and was once a deputy coach at Letran. He is currently the head tactician of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth team which he steered to a gold medal finish and a sweep of the FIBA U18 SEABA qualifiers last May.
With his new job, Tenorio may step down as PH coach.
