FOR LA Tenorio, coaching Magnolia is like coming back home.
Perhaps only a few could remember Tenorio once carried the Magnolia name when he played for San Miguel during his first two years in the PBA.
San Miguel, which tabbed Tenorio as the no. 4 overall pick in the 2006 draft, switched name during the course of the season, allowing the guard out of Ateneo to wear the Magnolia Beverage Masters brand.
And so it was a welcome moment for him to carry the name Magnolia once again as he enters a new phase in his basketball career.
"Bilog lang talaga ang mundo. Maliit lang ang mundo ng basketball. I'm just happy I was given the opportunity," said Tenorio.
Sponsored content:
"Ang daming puwedeng coaches na maging possible dito, but tayo ang binigyan ng pagkakataon. So siguro there's a reason, there's a purpose kung bakit ako nandito."
His stint with the San Miguel Corporation franchise however, was short lived and never got to win a championship with the Beverage Masters after being dealt to Alaska in a trade after his sophomore season.
Now, he gets another crack at steering Magnolia to a title.
"Yan ang kailangan nating pag-trabahuhan," stressed Tenorio. "Siyempre binigay sa atin itong opportunity na ito, so for sure I'm not going to waste it."
Since being named as replacement to Chito Victolero, Tenorio has gotten major pieces in his bid to give the Purefoods franchise its first ever crown since the 2018 Governors' Cup.
Sponsored content:
The Hotshots first acquired Javi Gomez De Liano for Jerrick Ahanmisi in a trade with Terrafirma, then signed big man Zavier Lucero to a two-year extension, and landed versatile San Beda forward Yukie Andrada in the first round of Season 50 draft.
As Magnolia coach, the 41-year-old Tenorio said he'll still carry the same attributes he had as a player.
"I'm still going to be the same LA as a player, being very competitive," he said. "It's a weird feeling and it's a weird situation. But one thing I've learned playing for Ginebra, is really the never-say-die spirit, not only in basketball, but in life. Siguro yun ang maibibigay ko talaga sa team namin.
"It's a weird situation because that mantra is from Ginebra. But in reality, in life, ganun talaga. You should not stop playing, you should be resilient all the time."(RG)
