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Realizations as a player and as a coach - better late than never
The following essay originally appeared on Jan Colina's Facebook page. After reading it, we asked Colina's permission to share it here. Colina is a former Adamson University Falcon, and is currently part of the team's coaching staff in the current UAAP season, under his former head coach, Leo Austria.
In my five years as a player in Adamson, I admit I didn't pay much attention to how our coaches felt. I was young and my focus was mostly on myself, and my personal gains.
Our coaches spend hours of their time training us players, honing our skills and trying to shape us into our best, but as they say, 'pasok sa tenga labas sa kabila.' I always forget that the time our coaches spend on us isn't for their benefit alone, but mainly for us players, and it's not limited to basketball, but also things that go beyond that. Things more important in life.
Our coaches are not the ones who should put in the time in the gym, or stay off vices to make us players be better people, because only we can do that. Our coaches are like our second fathers, and they only want the best for us.
As the wins piled up, I didn't realize that the attention was slowly getting into my head. I used to be this quiet, shy player from Cebu who followed all orders, but I became this stubborn individual who complained a lot in practice, and I'm sure I gave coach Leo [Austria] a hard time when I was still under him.
And all of these realizations came rushing back to me when coach Leo took me as one of his coaching staff for this UAAP season. I'm on the other side of the team now. I understood what coaches feel, and the frustrations they have when the players don't follow instructions.
It's often magnified, especially when I talk to coach Leo about his observations about the team, and especially about the players' attitudes. I suddenly felt bad for him after hearing about his frustrations, as I remembered the times when I was the one causing him these headaches. It was like hearing my dad ask himself where he failed as father, because we weren't acting on the court the way he raised us to be.
So I'm glad I became a coach even just for a little while, because it was during these moments, in practice and in the games, when I realize how selfish I was when I was an Adamson Falcon. It also made me realize how much I appreciate, value and respect that person who served as my dad away from home, coach Leo, for all his hard work. - GMA News
Members of the Adamson Falcons while in Hong Kong for an exhibition game, with coach Austria in the center. Colina is to Austria's right in black and white. c/o Jan Colina
In my five years as a player in Adamson, I admit I didn't pay much attention to how our coaches felt. I was young and my focus was mostly on myself, and my personal gains.
Our coaches spend hours of their time training us players, honing our skills and trying to shape us into our best, but as they say, 'pasok sa tenga labas sa kabila.' I always forget that the time our coaches spend on us isn't for their benefit alone, but mainly for us players, and it's not limited to basketball, but also things that go beyond that. Things more important in life.
Our coaches are not the ones who should put in the time in the gym, or stay off vices to make us players be better people, because only we can do that. Our coaches are like our second fathers, and they only want the best for us.
As the wins piled up, I didn't realize that the attention was slowly getting into my head. I used to be this quiet, shy player from Cebu who followed all orders, but I became this stubborn individual who complained a lot in practice, and I'm sure I gave coach Leo [Austria] a hard time when I was still under him.
And all of these realizations came rushing back to me when coach Leo took me as one of his coaching staff for this UAAP season. I'm on the other side of the team now. I understood what coaches feel, and the frustrations they have when the players don't follow instructions.
It's often magnified, especially when I talk to coach Leo about his observations about the team, and especially about the players' attitudes. I suddenly felt bad for him after hearing about his frustrations, as I remembered the times when I was the one causing him these headaches. It was like hearing my dad ask himself where he failed as father, because we weren't acting on the court the way he raised us to be.
So I'm glad I became a coach even just for a little while, because it was during these moments, in practice and in the games, when I realize how selfish I was when I was an Adamson Falcon. It also made me realize how much I appreciate, value and respect that person who served as my dad away from home, coach Leo, for all his hard work. - GMA News
