Kia Wants Rob Wainwright. With Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao being officially introduced as head coach of the Kia Motors PBA expansion squad, hes brought together a couple of former pros to lend their expertise in his corner. One such guy was former Coca-Cola player Rob Wainwright, who was part of the Tigers championship runs in 2002 and 2003. The Filipino-American swingman was in attendance at the event on Monday at the Pacific Star Building in Makati, though he clarified that he wasnt out there to attempt a comeback in the PBA. “As of now, I’m helping the team out,” Wainwright told InterAksyon. “Whatever happens in the future, we’ll see.” Wainwright and fellow former PBA player Chito Victolero had been helping Pacquiao out since Day One. Victolero, a former coach of the Mapua Cardinals in the NCAA, and Wainwright, who served as an assistant coach in the ASEAN Basketball League, are there to provide some more experience to the Kia bench. Hes also here to give back to the game of basketball. “I went to Vietnam to serve as assistant coach of the team after my ABL career,” said Wainwright. “Then I went back to the Philippines para magturo sa mga bata.” He said he was hesitant to transition into coaching at first but has found it a natural fit over time. “Someone asked me before if I want to become a coach, I said no. Kasi alam ko yung difficulty dealing with players. May players na mabait, mayroon namang maarte,” Wainwright said. “But over the last few years, I found myself being the old guy on the team, parang kuya na. I was team captain and the younger guys look up to me. Wainwright enjoyed seeing his younger teammates develop into better players and wanted to continue doing that. Through that, it grew on me. When Aldrech Ramos got drafted, he texted me and said Kuya, thanks for your advice. It was a great feeling, just like making a winning shot in the game.” But with spots on the roster up for grabs, the question for Wainwright was whether he still had it in him to make a comeback. Hes smart enough to listen to his body, though, and will likely resist urge to get back onto the floor. My basketball side would say, I would love to play, but my intellect as a person would probably say not. I have bad knees. That was my problem most of my career,” he said. #AdminJC☆○
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:40:08 +0000
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