Coach Jamike Jarin leads younger version of Gilas dream
Jamike Jarin, the coach of the RP U16 Youth team, sat on the balcony after having lunch with his family. His familiar dark-rimmed glasses hugged the sides of his head as beads of sweat started to form on a Tuesday morning. Their house pet, a Yorkshire Terrier, limped to and fro, demanding the coach’s attention.
Jarin lit a cigarette and took a puff. “Walang nag-expect na makakapasok kami sa FIBA World [2014 FIBA U17 World Championship] ‘no?” he said with his usual raspy voice. “Oo nga, coach. Kayo lang ata yung nag-expect,” I replied. He responded with a smile, wordless and proud.
After failing to land the job the past three times, Jarin was finally selected as the U16 coach late last year. Three times he heard his name was in the mix and three times he watched as someone else got the job. Franz Pumaren, Eric Altamirano, and Olsen Racela all got their shot at coaching the country’s young representatives before he did. But he didn’t mind. Jarin is used to falling short, used to not making the cut.
“Back in my time I tried out for the RP Under-17 team,” he confessed. He didn’t make the cut and Racela, one of the coaches who beat him out for a prior U16 gig, was selected as that team’s starting point guard. “I think dun nagsimula yung passion ko for coaching. I realized then that a career as a player won’t work for me so I just hope that someday I’ll be a part of this team, not as a player but as a coach.”
Jarin knew that if he was to fulfill his dream, he needed to pay his dues. If he wanted to be a a big-time coach someday, he needed to start from scratch. Coaching a summer league team here in Filinvest 1 was scratch for Jarin. Coaching players his age and older was fun for him, but his passion was really centered on teaching youngsters. “Every time may opportunity ako to coach yung mga bata, to teach them, tuwang-tuwa ako. In fact yung mga una kong tinuruan dito sa Filinvest sila BJ Manalo and Macky Escalona when they were like nine or 10 years old.”
His first official coaching job was for the girls team at Our Lady of Grace Montessori, but at the same time, he also volunteered as an assistant coach of the Philippine Women’s team. He did the latter for a year with no pay.
Jarin’s luck started to turn when the Metropolitan Basketball Association was founded in 1998. Because there was suddenly another professional league in town, coaches in the amateur ranks filled the voids in the pro's. There was a vacuum created and Jarin was one of those who filled in the spots.
“In a sudden twist of fate, BJ Manalo was the star player for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and he recommended me,” Jarin said. “He knew that I needed a break and that was where I first worked with Sandy Arespacochaga. He was the head coach and I was the deputy head coach and the rest was history.”
In his 13 years coaching the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, Jarin turned into a legend in high school basketball. He led his team to the UAAP Finals 12 times, winning eight rings with the likes of Larry Fonacier, Ken Barracoso, Jai Reyes, Von Pessumal, Kiefer Ravena, Frank Golla, Bacon Austria, and Tonino Gonzaga.
For a time, Jarin felt like he was on top of the world. In 2009, he led the Blue Eaglets to a three-peat and also assisted Norman Black in helping the Blue Eagles to their own three straight championships. When the UAAP was over, Jarin assisted Chot Reyes in steering Talk ‘N Text to a Philippine Cup title. He won with Ice Reyes and Kiefer Ravena in the UAAP Juniors Division, then won with their fathers Chot Reyes and Bong Ravena in the PBA.
But even with all the success in the UAAP and PBA, Jarin still felt that something was missing. He went into coaching not to win UAAP or PBA titles, but to represent the country through the youth team.
“If you look at it, ako yung may pinakamahabang experience coaching this age bracket. I thought that was my biggest advantage because when you coach 14-to-16-year-olds, it’s more of babysitting. They have problems sa school, girls, parents. So you have to be a coach, a dad, a mom, a brother, and a sister to all of them,” Jarin said. “You have to make them remember that this is a game and that they should have fun.”
The announcement, the fulfillment of his dream, came in December of 2012. Those familiar with the high school hoops scene all agreed that Jarin was the man for the job. “The first thing I did when I got the job was get the best coaches in the juniors division. I got the champion UAAP coach and the champion NCAA coach,” Jarin said. “I needed people who are familiar in handling this age bracket.”
Early this year, Jarin and the rest of his coaching staff selected players whom they thought could help the Philippines qualify for the most prestigious youth basketball competition in the world. But the process wasn’t easy. After he selected players, the coach needed to schedule practices that would work with his players' schedules, as they were also suiting up for their schools in three different amateur leagues.
“Our preparation was not enough. We were only twice a week but when the UAAP and NCAA opened, balik na kami sa once a week. Di naman ako pwedeng mag-ensayo ng nine ng gabi kasi bata pa yung mga yan,” Jarin explained. “The biggest problem was availability. Di ko alam kung papayagan ng school and mother leagues nila. But I’m sure the kids wanted it. The second was budget.”
To qualify for the FIBA Asia U16 tourney, Jarin and his team first needed to finish in the top three in the SEABA competition. Although reaching that point was relatively easy, physically getting to Indonesia was the hard part.
“The problem for us was that the hosting of FIBA Asia took most of the money and attention,” Jarin shared. “Yung maganda lang, the players and the coaches never cared about allowances and salaries. We all just wanted to represent [the Philippines].”
The coach talked to a bunch of companies to ask for sponsorships but none of them came through. “When we went to SEABA, there was one believer of mine who gave me money. Naawa lang siya sa akin. He saw how problematic I was. He shouldered the airfare, the allowances of the players, and the salaries of the coaches,” Jarin added.
After qualifying for 2013 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship in Iran, the MVP Sports Foundation stepped in to help Jarin’s team. The coach also got some help from a former student just before his team flew to Iran.
“Before I left, I gave Kiefer Ravena a call. I asked him how are the teams there. I had a long talk with him and he gave me his insight,” Jarin said. “We talked about the stuff that I did sa juniors. He told me what will work and what won’t work sa FIBA Asia. I had the best scouting report from him.”
After he was done with his after-meal smoke, Jarin stood up and walked inside. The ball awarded to him and his players by the PBA rested on a bar stool, covered with the signatures of all his players.
“Pagdating namin sa Iran, di nila kami pinapansin,” Jarien rued. “Para kaming saling pusa. We were even bullied sa kainan kasi unahan e. When we came in, we were fortunate enough to get the bracket na tatlo lang kami, so qualified na kami agad sa second round. Our target was to make it to the semis then whatever happens happens.”
Their first game was against Kazakhstan, their first realization of just how small they were. “Ang lalaki pala ng kalaban namin. We were the smallest in the field. Even smaller than Malaysia and Thailand,” Jarin said. “The good thing was we did not get outrebounded by the Kazakhs. Nakita na ng coaching staff na hindi bibigay yung mga bata.”
The Philippines won 90-88, but this was followed by a 95-90 loss to Chinese-Taipei. “We controlled the game for 35 minutes but like the Gilas game here, they started hitting their three's and we lost,” the coach said. They limped into the second round knowing, they needed to beat Jordan, Japan, and India to avoid an early meeting with the powerhouse Chinese team.
They defeated Jordan 73-60 then geared for a big game against Japan.
“We were worried about Japan because they had two Japanese-Africans who were 6’7 and 6’8. When that game came, we knew it was going to be make or break for us,” Jarin continued. “Fortunately we blew out Japan. Yung character nung team showed a lot of heart. You can see in the eyes of the players na they realized na kaya pala namin.”
“I’d like to show you something,” he said, searching for their game against Japan on video. “Yung sa Japan game, pagod na yung mga bata e. So I had to think of something to make the players believe we had a fighting chance. They [the Japanese players] were tall, they were strong, and they trained in Europe for a year together.”
The start looked like any other basketball game, two players in front of each other with the referee holding the ball in between them, eight other players surrounded them, waiting for the tip. It looked ordinary except for one small detail.
“Before the game, I told my smallest player that he will take on their biggest player on the jump ball,” Jarin said proudly. “We will show them that our smallest player will fight their biggest and tallest player. I told him to stretch in front of the Japanese center and show him he’s ready.”
Jolo Mendoza tried with all his might to win the tip. He failed, but the effort set the tone of the game. “If lumaban kami sa jumpball, that means lalaban kami sa buong game. We almost got the ball and we blew them out by 18,” said Jarin.
India was next on tap for the Philippines. As it was the last game before the knockout phase, Jarin altered his rotation to give his starters some rest.
“The way I substituted and the way I coached, I was trying to hide that I was resting them pero matatalino yung players e. They figured out what I was doing it so nag-relax rin sila,” Jarin said. The result was a difficult 78-67 victory, which gave the Philippines the top spot in Group F prior to the crossover knockout stage.
“Rumors then started to come in that Iran threw the game to Bahrain kasi they did not want to face Japan in the quarterfinals. Iran ended up in fourth,” Jarin explained, as he browsed through the game videos again. “Maliit kami e. Tingin nila mas madali kaming talunin and they also wanted to avoid a semis match-up with China.”
It looked like a game between men and boys, with Iran’s 6’9 centers and 6’7 wingmen facing a Philippine team with an average height of 5’11 on a good day. “Because they’re taller, lamang sila sa rebounds but I told my players that because we were smaller and faster, if the ball bounces on the floor, that ball is ours,” Jarin said.
No Iranian national basketball team ever lost a knockout game on their home floor. But the undersized Philippine squad led by 14 at the half. “The national coach of Iran went to their dugout and gave a pep talk to their players. It worked kasi they brought our lead down to seven, but we were able to gather our focus and we blew them out by 27,” said Jarin, who spoke as if it was the easiest thing to accomplish.
“Were you even surprised coach?” I asked.
“Yes,” answered Jarin, laughing. “Super surprised.”
The win grabbed the attention of the rest of the field. The “saling pusa” squad was now a win away from what they came there for. “From day one, we were improving tremendously on a daily basis. I knew if we stayed healthy, we can make a run for it,” the coach said. “Yung mga ibang countries, kumakampi na sa atin because they saw we were having our own Cinderella story.”
On the day of the semifinals, Japan and China played first. The Japanese team, after trying to keep in pace in the first quarter realized they just did not have enough to upset the tall Chinese team. Japan’s coach emptied out his bench to rest his starters in preparation for the battle for third.
“Whoever will play Japan for third place will lose. We knew and Chinese-Taipei knew that was the case. Kasi laspag ka na pero fresh sila,” Jarin explained. “We lost to them kaya added motivation para sa mga bata e. Di na ako naghanap ng motivation. We’re gunning for the slot sa world [FIBA U17 World Cup] and we lost to this team kaya alam kong alam na ng mga bata ang gagawin nila.
Chinese-Taipei led by eight with six minutes left in the game. They tried to land the knockout punch on every possession as they launched long triples which refused to go in. The Philippines on the other hand relied mostly on inside scoring but they finally got the upper-hand with a trey from Mendoza.
Leading by five, with the seconds ticking away, the young Filipinos started celebrating as they knew they just made history. Jarin on the other hand refused to do the same. “Mixed emotions ako pag nananalo kasi naaawa ako sa kalaban. I had my share of losses also and I know how losses can affect a team, especially the kids.”
The win over Chinese-Taipei lifted all the pressure away from Jarin’s shoulders. Win or lose against China, they were going home as winners, as a team that performed beyond expectations.
“That game was the biggest win of my career,” said the multi-titled head coach. “From coaching summer league subdivision basketball to coaching a team in the World Championships, it has been an amazing journey.”
With the tournament about to close, Jarin threw his final curve balls against China. Mendoza was again assigned for the jumpball, this time against a seven-foot Chinese center. He then instructed the four other players not to stay at center court. They were already in their defensive positions waiting for the Chinese to come at them.
“Look at the referees. Di nila alam anong ginagawa namin,” proclaimed a giddy Jarin. “Look at the faces of the people watching. From that point on, the crowd was ours.” Jarin then pulled another trick seconds later.
“Si Paul Desiderio, binawalan ko yan mag three points. After the second game I told, him not to take three's anymore kasi mas effective siya attacking the basket,” Jarin explained. “In our first possession against China, I told Desiderio to take a three. Guess what happened?”
Right on cue, Desiderio dribbled to the left side of the court to drain a three.
“I don’t know where I get my ideas from. Sa tagal ko na siguro coaching these kids, parang alam ko na paano sila pakiligin. Alam ko na how to get the best from them, how to inspire them,” Jarin said.
We watched the game between his boys and the Chinese team whose average height was 6’7, taller than most PBA squads. But the Filipino kids never stopped fighting. They were the first on the floor for every loose ball. They were trapping and running at every opportunity. “I just told the players to enjoy the game. I told them I’ll dance after we score baskets and that’s exactly what I did.”
At the tail-end of the game, Michael Dela Cruz nailed a triple for the Philippines. As the buzzer sounded, Jarin’s players exploded off the bench. The score read that China won 85-78 but you would not have guessed that if you look at the Philippine team’s reaction. “Akala mo kami nag-champion ‘no?” Jarin asked.
Some of the Chinese players were dumbfounded. "Pati yung mga Chinese players napatingin sa score,” Jarin said as he relived the moment. “Yung Chinese coach, di tumatayo yan buong game. Against us napatayo siya. Galit na galit yung coach ng China sa mga player niya kasi he didn’t understand why they only won by seven points. Look, he’s not even celebrating.”
For a moment, the Philippine team cast doubt in the minds of the Chinese. For moment, they showed Asia that even basketball demi-gods bleed.
“To play like that against China, to qualify with them to the FIBA Worlds was worth celebrating even if we lost. China was expected to dominate but they were not able to do that against us,” said a proud Jarin. “We showed them that our lack of ceiling will not stop us from competing. We showed them that Filipinos can accomplish so much as long as we stayed together.”
During the awarding the Philippine team continued their celebration. They went around exchanging high-five's with the other teams while the Chinese players stayed on the podium. Their celebration went on for so long that the organizers had to yank them out of the stands to claim their medals. They were silvers, but they shined brighter than gold.
“Looking back, if I was appointed a head coach before, I thought I was ready but because of the years that passed before I got the RP youth job, it got me more equipped. Parang naging blessing in disguise yung hindi nila pagpili sa akin. Pati yung past failures ko, I think those prepared me for this opportunity.”
When he was in high school, Jarin never played regular minutes with the San Beda Red Cubs. He rode the pine most games but the good thing was that he watched how the legendary Ato Badolato coached. Jarin and his fearless crew are now ready to take on the world’s best, in next year's FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania.
“Gusto kong ma-feel how it is to be in that level, specially para sa mga bata. They will be against the best 17-year-olds in the world. It means that they also belong to that group. Gusto naming pakita sa kanila na we can compete. Suntok sa buwan pero we won’t stop competing," he said.
"I just hope and pray na maka-bracket namin yung USA. Kasi kung di namin sila maka-bracket, baka sa Finals na lang namin sila puwedeng makalaban e,” Jarin closed. “Mahirap naman umasa dun kasi baka di sila umabot.
Source:
Coach Jamike Jarin leads younger version of Gilas dream | Sports | GMA News Online
Inspirational read from U16 Coach
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