CHITO Victolero had an amicable parting of ways with a Magnolia team that had been his home in the PBA for almost a decade.
San Miguel Corp. sports director Alfrancis Chua said Victolero calmly accepted his fate with the franchise which he steered to its last championship in the league during the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
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The 49-year-old Victolero, who was replaced by Barangay Ginebra guard LA Tenorio on Monday, was even grateful for the huge break he got calling the shots for the Hotshots, according to Chua.
“Oo nagkausap kami. Okay naman siya, Okay naman 'yung usapan namin,” said Chua, who was Victolero’s coach when the former Mapua player suited up for Stag Pale Pilsen in the defunct Philippine Basketball League.
Victolero has become incommunicado since Magnolia lost to TNT in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals where the Hotshots blew a twice-to-beat advantage.
Repeated text messages by SPIN.ph to the coach known for being approachable were ignored in the days leading up to the coaching change.
Victolero though, has an existing contract with the Hotshots that runs until the end of the year.
But Chua quoted Victolero as thankful for his years of stay with the Purefoods franchise.
“Sobrang pasalamat. Pag-alis nga (after their meeting), nagtext pa ulit. Nagpapasalamat na naman. Nine years siya, e,” said the PBA Board vice chairman.
Chua said Victolero even mentioned about briefly taking a break from coaching as he had been feeling something weird about his health without elaborating.
Victolero, who played for Sta. Lucia and FedEx Express in the PBA, came over to Magnolia in 2016 to assume the Magnolia coaching job in lieu of Jason Webb, who slid down to become his chief deputy, before being promoted on Monday to team governor.
The Hotshots were consistent semifinalists under his term, eventually breaking through with a championship in the Governors’ Cup seven years ago when Magnolia beat Alaska in the finals behind import Romeo Travis.
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Magnolia also made the finals three other times under his watch, losing in all instances against San Miguel (2019 Philippine Cup), TNT (2021 Philippine Cup), and San Miguel (2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup).
But the team could only reach the quarterfinals in Victolero’s last four conferences with the team, including as the eighth-seeded team in the 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup.
Overall, he compiled a 224-158 (win-loss) record with the Hotshots, not missing the playoffs during his entire stint with the fabled franchise.
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