IT was LA Tenorio who voluntarily asked Barangay Ginebra to relegate him in the Unrestricted Free Agent With Rights To Salary (UFAWR2S) list.
Coach Tim Cone made the revelation a day after the Kings made the move prior to their PBA Philippine Cup game against Northport.
READ: Ginebra gets back to winning ways with 25-point rout of NorthPort
“He was actually the one who came to me and said, ‘Do you want to put somebody on? I’ll come down and be on reserve if you want to activate somebody else,’” said Cone in recalling his conversation with his long-time point guard.
Tenorio, 40, felt, his duties as head coach of Gilas Pilipinas Youth is getting on the way with his playing career at Ginebra.
The Youth team is currently preparing for the SEABA qualifiers for the FIBA U16 Asia Cup to be held in Pampanga from May 24 to 30.
“He’ll not able to play this month and he won’t be able to attend the games,” Cone said of Tenorio.
With most of the Gilas Youth members attending to school on days, Tenorio holds team practices in the evening.
The U16 team will also be holding camps in Pampanga prior to the week-long tournament.
“He (Tenorio) just felt he could miss practices for our games,” added Cone.
Jayson David took over the spot of Tenorio and was relegated to the active roster in time for the game against the Batang Pier.
The 6-foot-3 David did well in his first game in the Ginebra lineup this conference, finishing with 25 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor – including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range – while adding nine rebounds in the 131-106 win.
Cone did say though, Tenorio will be put back in the team’s regular lineup once his Gilas duty is over.
“Eventually, we’re looking forward to activate him when his stint is over with the SEABA,” said the Ginebra coach.
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