YENG Guiao missed personally hooking up with former players Andy de Guzman and Teofano Tiu Jr., but he definitely had fond memories of the two.
Guiao on Andy de Guzman, Teofano Tiu Jr.
The NLEX coach looked back with affection on the years he spent with both players, dating back to their days with the RFM franchise in the old Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL), and later on, in the PBA.
Both De Guzman and Tiu are in town for a brief vacation as the two are now based overseas.
It was the 6-foot-3 De Guzman however, who played longer under Guiao. He was part of the 1992 Swift team that won the first-ever pro championship in franchise history during the Third Conference.
The champion coach described De Guzman, now 55, as a player with a complete game.
“He was very athletic during his time. May shooting yan sa labas, meron siyang drive to the basket,” Guiao said of the lanky 6-foot-3 forward.
“Ang ano lang sa kanya, manipis yan. So sa pisikalan medyo disadvantage siya. Pero you cannot discount na palaban yung bata.”
A big, versatile forward, the product of Far Eastern University entered the pro with glowing credentials, leading the then expansion franchise RFM to pick him No. 2 overall in the 1990 draft.
“We have pretty good memories. I think we had successes,” said Guiao of his time together with De Guzman.
The two were together when Sarsi made its first trip to the finals in the 1991 all-Filipino conference, and finally when Swift won its very first ever league title during the 1992 Third Conference.
“Maganda naman yung naging resulta ng samahan namin” said Guiao.
But mentor and player would part ways the following season when RFM traded De Guzman to Sta. Lucia along with the late Jack Tanuan and RicRic Marata for the duo of Zaldy Realubit and Vergel Meneses.
De Guzman would play for the Realtors until 1996.
In all, he played a total of 236 PBA games and averaged 10.5 points per outing.
De Guzman later served as deputy coach at FEU, University of the East, Arellano University, and head coach at Emilio Aguinaldo College before migrating to Calgary, Canada.
Tiu meanwhile, played for Guiao with Swift in the PABL.
“They’re one of my early players, galing yan ng FEU,” he said of De Guzman and Tiu. “I think isa yan sa mga namana ko kay coach Turo (Valenzona) na players. Pinamana yan sa akin ni coach Turo.”
“Magkasabay actually sila (Andy). Swift din. Actually, maganda rin ang samahan namin,” added the NLEX coach. “He was not athletic, but he was more of a deliberate, cerebral player.”
Tiu has long been based in Italy.
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