The Ups and Downs of Ryan Gregorio's Coaching Career

Not every head coach in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) wins the PBA Coach of the Year award and even if they do, not all PBA coaches have more Coach of the Year awards other than Coach Ryan Gregorio as he is tied with Chot Reyes with three COY awards. 

In last night's live podcast of "2OT", Carlo Pamintuan and Magoo Marjon were able to talk with Ryan Gregorio who is now serving as the alternate governor of the Meralco Bolts as well as the special assistant to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio. 

Gregorio began things by saying that he has been looking forward to being invited in the podcast hosted by Pamintuan and Marjon as the three-time PBA champion coach said that he had lighting equipment and a microphone set up for the guesting. He then proceeded by explaining that he's currently in charge of implementing rapid testing for Meralco employees against the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) as one of his functions as part of the human resources department of Meralco. As a special assistant to the president of SBP, he is monitoring what is going on in the basketball world we're in the middle of a pandemic that ultimately forced basketball to go on an indefinite hiatus. He also mentioned that the SBP is in the "thick of things" in terms of their preparation for the country's hosting of the 2023 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup as Gregorio added that the SBP is in conversation with their friends from Japan and Indonesia as well as with officials of FIBA.

In the interview that lasted for about an hour and a half, Pamintuan and Marjon, both also working as commentators in the PBA, asked Ryan Gregorio about his coaching career primarily, the ups, downs, and everything else in between.

One of the few things that both hosts and Gregorio himself pointed out is the fact that Ryan Gregorio actually played college ball with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). According to the now 48-year old Gregorio, he didn't push through having a career in the PBA is that, during his playing career, he checked his peripherals and when he realized that he wouldn't stand a chance against another small guy in Jonny Abarientos, he decided to take Mass Communication in UP with majors in film and audiovisual communication. In 1997, then Purefoods TJ Giants Head Coach Eric Altamirano told Gregorio that "there would be a slight opening for him to join the Purefoods coaching as staff as a video coordinator". 

Yes, Ryan Gregorio started his PBA career as a video coordinator for the team that had Alvin Patrimonio in it.

How Gregorio became a head coach in the PBA was something that he considered as "accidental".

In 2002 when the RP team was formed to compete in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, Jong Uichico was the head coach of the national team and then Purefoods Coach Altamirano was also a part of the national team coaching staff. So when the Purefoods management looked at the bench of the team to decide who would take over the helm, there was no one on the bench except for Ryan Gregorio himself. There he was, then 29 years old who needed to coach the likes of Alvin Patrimonio and Ronnie Magsanoc. And Gregorio's first conference as a head coach in the PBA was both magical and difficult.

Difficult in the sense that his team lost three starters to the national team: Andy Seigle, Noy Castillo, and Boyet Fernandez. Difficult in the sense that the Giants then Tim Cone-coached Alaska Aces in the PBA Finals of the 2002 Governors' Cup. And difficult in the sense that his team went down 0-2 early on.

What made that run magical was that Gregorio's mindset that no, no coach can outcoach Tim Cone one-on-one but having the mindset that his players were better than the players that Cone had at the time, worked wonders not just for Gregorio but for Purefoods as they went on to win the series that went to a Game Seven. Gregorio also shared with Magoo and Carlo that in particular Game Seven, he did something different: starting Rey Evangelista at the point guard. Why was that different?

Rey Evangelista, who was known as a small forward and as one of the best sixth men in the history of the league, never played the point guard spot, and what made that even more special was that that was the time Rey Evangelista won the Best Player of the Conference plum. That was in 2002. An introduction to Ryan Gregorio for the rest of the field.

Ryan Gregorio and the Giants won't be back in the finals until 2006 and in that span of time, Gregorio experienced some of the down moments of his coaching career which included the retirement of Alvin Patrimonio and that's something that stood as a painful experience for a coach. Fortunately, the Giants were able to get the right pieces that would make them a contender anew in time for 2006.

They were able to get  James Yap as the number two pick in the 2004 PBA Rookie Draft along with Paul Artadi who was selected 11th overall. Then, Purefoods was able to sign PJ Simon from the free agency. And to complete the new main core of the franchise, the team traded for Marc Pingris. The team also had Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap- holdovers from Gregorio's 2002 champion team. 

And even with that new core, Purefoods lost to the Yeng Guiao-mentored Red Bull team in the 2006 Fiesta Conference Finals. In the Philippine Cup that same season, Purefoods faced the Aces in the semifinals and that proved to be one of Gregorio's finest moments as a coach as the Giants recovered from a 1-3 series deficit to beat Tim Cone again and eventually, win his second PBA championship at the expense of Yeng Guiao. Again. To Gregorio, 2006 was a validation.

In last night's talk with his fellow PBA commentators, Ryan Gregorio revealed some of the mistakes that he committed all throughout his coaching career, and among those mistakes that almost cost him his job was trading Marc Pingris and  Paul Artadi and that's a mistake that he apologized not just to the team but to both men whom the team managed to get back. A mistake he was vindicated from when Purefoods won the 2010 Philippine Cup championship via a 4-0 sweep of the Alaska Aces. Again.

Before wrappings up, Paminutuan and Marjon asked Ryan Gregorio who would make up his all-time Purefoods starting five. For the coach, his all-time frontline included Kerby Raymundo, Alvin Patrimonio, and Marc Pingris while his backcourt included James Yap and Ronnie Magsanoc. To make things "more difficult", the hosts asked Gregorio to include a sixth man and he has to choose between Rey Evangelista and PJ Simon. Gregorio's choice: Rey Evangelista although he pointed out that he would pick Simon as his seventh man.

Ryan Gregorio is a genius not because he knows everything about the game of basketball but more importantly, he knows how to give the right guidance, the right motivation to get his players to get the job done. He may have never played in the PBA but he will always be a part of the history of the PBA and also owns the distinction of being referred to as Tim Cone's Kryptonite. 

Screenshot is from the Facebook page of 2OT