WHEN LA Tenorio was forming his coaching staff for Gilas Pilipinas Youth, Gabe Norwood was one of the first persons that came to mind.
Tenorio said Norwood is perfect for the youth program with his knowledge of the game and his ability to connect with young players.
“Gabe is a big factor for me,” said Tenorio in an interview after supervising a series of tryouts for the Gilas Youth Under-16 team ending last Thursday night. “Siya ‘yung una kong naisip.”
“He has that experience na makausap ‘yung mga players and the players will automatically listen to him because of his experience,” he added of his fellow active PBA player.
Tenorio said he intended to have a Gilas teammate from the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, as he felt that they would be a big help to the youth program.
“Actually, if Jimmy [Alapag] is here, Jimmy will definitely be part of the national team [youth coaching staff] because I know ‘yung binigay nila for the national team. Actually, kung madadala ko lang ‘yung buong team namin noong 2014, kasi naging malaking factor ‘yung experience namin to be part all the way from the start of the program up to ‘yung nagtapos kami,” said Tenorio.
Gabe in the grassroots
For his part, 40-year-old Norwood treats his appointment to the youth program as a blessing since he can impart his knowledge to more players.
“It’s a blessing that LA considered me and allowed me this opportunity to kind of pay it forward, use the experience, and kind of share the things that I’ve learned along the years and pass it forward to these kids and try to help build the Gilas program,” he said.
At the same time, the Rain or Shine mainstay said he's ecstatic to be back where he started in Philippine basketball.
As he put it, “It was kind of a full circle moment. My career really started with the national team under coach Chot [Reyes], the RP team at that time. And having sons now, a lot of the kids here are familiar faces. It’s just a blessing and I’m excited. I’m excited for the group.”
Tenorio said choosing the final roster for the Under-16 team will be a tough one with the talent that attended the tryouts, a sentiment that Norwood shares.
“Our decisions are hard. A lot of talent, a lot of guys that came out and competed at a high level, high basketball IQs. Actually, we all know the needs that we have, not just at this age group, but all the way up to our men’s group - size, shooting, things like that. And a lot of that was displayed here," said the new Gilas Youth assistant.
“Hopefully, we can come together as a unit and as a coaching staff and put together the best 12-man roster as we can. It’s exciting... The future of the Gilas program is in good hands.”
Norwood made it clear that accepting the Gilas Youth job doesn’t mean he is stepping back with his playing career, though coaching is definitely part of his plans down the road.
“I definitely want to be around the game as much as I can, help the country sustain our place there at the top of Asia and also in the world,” said Norwood.
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