Magnolia Hotshots coach LA Tenorio, left, with players Paul Lee, middle, and Mark Barroca during the PBA Rookie Draft.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–LA Tenorio would be the first to admit that he’s still undergoing a learning curve in the new chapter of his basketball life as the new coach of the Magnolia Hotshots.
“Slowly, I’ll get used to it,” Tenorio said during Sunday’s PBA Rookie Draft, his first official act calling the shots for Magnolia going into the league’s 50th season.
READ: LA Tenorio officially retires, steps into ‘new chapter’ as coach
It’s been more than a month since San Miguel Corporation appointed Tenorio to take over from Chito Victolero in a bid to turn the fortunes of the Hotshots team that hasn’t won a championship since the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
The offseason has also seen Magnolia pull off some moves with the acquisition of Javi Gomez de Liano from Terrafirma, which previously held his rights, plus the free agent signing of ex-NorthPort guard Paolo Taha.
Magnolia also underwent some changes within the management side in conjunction with Tenorio’s appointment following Jason Webb’s new role as team governor and the entry of Erick Arejola, who previously had the same duty with NorthPort, as “consultant.”
READ: PBA: New coach LA Tenorio holds first practice with Magnolia
“So far, everything’s fine between me and the team since I know the players and the players know me, plus they’re very hardworking,” he said. “Basically, it’s a composition of veterans and young players.”
Tenorio took a break from preparing the Hotshots for the upcoming season recently, handling Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba U-16 Asia Cup that ended on a sour note with a loss to Bahrain in the qualification to the quarterfinals game.
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