ARCHIMEDES Go didn't have a playing career as his former teammates at De La Salle-Zobel.
But he did find a lot of fulfillment as a young coach for the elementary basketball team of Berkeley School in his hometown of Baguio City.
“Iba eh. Makikita mo sa mga bata, milestones,” said the 25-year-old Go or Archi to his friends.
Go was part of the DLS-Zobel team that won the 2007 UAAP juniors championship that also included Joshua Webb, Jeric Fortuna, and Simon Atkins, all of whom are now playing in the PBA.
He also became part of the La Salle Green Archers’ Team B, where he has for teammates at one point the likes of LA Revilla and Norbert Torres, who are also currently seeing action in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league.
But even though Go didn’t make it that far, it didn’t prevent him from having a fulfilled basketball life as a coach. After college, he went back to the country’s summer capital, where he was able to land a job as coach.
And Go stressed coaching kids is a very fulfilling profession.
“’Yung bata, hindi makasalo ng bola. Kung nasalo, for you, malaking achievement na ‘yun eh. Makita mong naka-lay-up, okay, pero kung weak hand lay-up, achievement na ‘yun. Kumbaga little steps,” he said.
Recently, Go was able to lead Berkeley School to a seat in the BEST SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament sponsored by MILO for the third straight year where the school represented Luzon in the Small Basketeers Philippines tournament.
Berkeley went up against Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Iloilo, and eventual champion La Salle Greenhills.
Go said the Twin Tournament is Berkeley’s main league and added he’s happy with the strides the school's basketball program has achieved over the years.
“We are doing good pero it’s still a work in progress. We are lucky to be here. Ito ang main league namin. We prepared for this tournament for one year,” said Go, whose team hurdled teams from Pangasinan, Lucena, and Pampanga to rule the Luzon qualifiers.
Go said he is fulfilled to be part of the school’s development not just as a basketball contender in the region but in the improvement of the kids as well.
“Start kami winless as in zero until nananalo na kami sa Baguio, and then sa regionals, and then tuluy-tuloy na. Hindi kagaya sa elite schools, ‘yung expectations mataas. Dito, milestones,” said Go.
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