Who is Luis Chua Nolasco Jr.?

A civil engineering graduate from La Salle has been named the Jr. NBA-Alaska Coach of the Year after a thorough selection process involving NBA and Alaska representatives who went over hundreds of nominations from a list of candidates registered with the program.

It wasn’t a condition that the nominees had to attend a Jr. NBA-Alaska coaching clinic. The only requirement was the candidate to be registered as a coach with the Jr. NBA-Alaska program.

From the list of hopefuls, the selection committee made up of NBA Asia country manager Carlo Singson, NBA Asia basketball operations director Jama Mahlalela and Alaska assistant coaches Jojo Lastimosa and Dicky Bachmann picked 10 finalists who were invited to attend the recent three-day National Training Camp, the culminating event of the four-month Jr. NBA-Alaska program. Then, the committee – with the concurrence of Jr. NBA camp director Frank Lopez and visiting NBA legend A. C. Green – chose the Coach of the Year who turned out to be Luis Chua Nolasco Jr., an assistant coach with the Hope Christian High School.

Nolasco, 40, attended the Manila leg of the Jr. NBA-Alaska coaching clinics conducted by Lopez and Mahlalela early this year. About 200 participated in the Manila sessions. More than 400 showed up for the Bacolod clinics. In the Manila leg, there were at least 10 females. Former PBA coach Bong Go, representing the SBP, signed up for the Manila camp whose oldest participant was Brent School’s Virgilio Sison, 67, and youngest was La Consolacion College’s Marc Denter Galvez, 19.

“The top candidates for Coach of the Year were those who are hard-working, disciplined and creative, who love to coach, who have earned the respect of their peers and who themselves practice the Jr. NBA’s S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, positive Attitudes and Respect – values that they require from their own players,” explained Singson.

“The Jr. NBA-Alaska Coach of the Year Award is a very important component of ourprogram. Our objective is to teach basketball fundamentals to Filipino youth and to instill in them the values needed to help them succeed both on and off the court. The best way to get this message out to as many kids as possible is through their coaches. This is why the Jr. NBA-Alaska program kicked off with the coaching clinics in which we provided local coaches with the tools to help them spread the Jr. NBA message to their teams and students. The Coach of the Year Award was a new element this year that recognized some of the most dedicated and hard-working coaches in the Philippines and provided them with more opportunities to develop their coaching skills.”

The selection criteria were commitment to coaching over the past 12 months, commitment to the S.T.A.R. message, player participation and serving as a role model for other coaches to emulate.

The 10 finalists were not only given a close-up look at how the National Training Camp was conducted but also treated to a special training clinic by Alaska assistant coach Joel Banal.

Alaska’s participation in the program and the Coach of the Year selection was reflective of the Uytengsu company’s commitment to sports development and excellence. Alaska vice president for marketing Blen Fernando cited the collaboration between the NBA and Alaska as a successful partnership of two big names in basketball. “Its success is proof of the power of teamwork with a common goal – promoting an active, fun and healthy lifestyle instilling positive values among young people,” said Fernando.

The 10 finalists were Clint Mondano of Northeast Mindanao Colleges in Surigao City, Alvin Guadines of the Cavite School of St. Mark, Bacoor, Rodel Berbon of Colegio de San Franscisco, General Trias, Cavite, Ronaldo Joaquin Lacsamana of the Palawan Amateur Basketball Association, Puerto Princesa, Manuel Mercado of Sacred Heart College, Lucena City, Christopher Buhain of MIT International School, Bacoor, Josep Glenn Faldas of Don Bosco Technical College of Mandaluyong City, Genesius Molto Jr. of Aquinas University of Legazpi City, Albay, Stephen Signap Tia of Lucky Termina, Dumaguete City and Nolasco.

Nolasco started his coaching career with the Northern Rizal Yorklin School in 2005-06 then moved to Hope Christian in 2007. In the past year, Nolasco was an assistant coach with the Hope Christian junior varsity and also started a feeder program overseeing kids in the 9-11 and 12-13 age brackets and a Team B. In the summer, he ran a clinic for the 6-8 age group.

“We trained six times a week, 11 months a year, including most holidays and Sundays,” said Nolasco. “We joined summer leagues to give exposure to our players. This season, our juniors team won three championships and reached the finals of the Tiong Lian tournament after 18 years and broke the 32-game win streak of the perennial champion. It united our school community. Our Team B and 12-13 age group team also made it to the finals. Before I joined the Hope Christian juniors as an assistant coach, we had not won a single game in the Tiong Lian tournament the previous two years. I initiated a feeder program but the losses continued to the point where I wanted to give up but I persevered. At times, I was encouraged by our head coach to run our practices and handle games. I made sure I always gave my best. Soon, God rewarded our efforts. We broke our losing streak on my second year. The following year, we placed third and last year, we reached the finals. It’s fulfilling to see kids improve each year, especially when they graduate, knowing you’re part of their success.”

Nolasco elaborated on his coaching philosophy using the S.T.A.R. values as benchmarks.

“First, sportsmanship – I advocate a tough physical game of basketball but not dirty,” he said. “Play hard but don’t humiliate your opponent. Be humble in victory and lose with dignity and pride. Second, teamwork – for the team to be successful, each member should learn to make sacrifices and to be unselfish. To sacrifice is to play aggressive defense, learning to accept your role in the team and always be present in practices or games mentally and physically. Third, positive Attitude – despite insurmountable odds, one should prepare all the more for the battles ahead instead of giving up easily. As coaches, do not use having a weak team as an excuse for not training the kids with passion and dedication. It is our responsibility to prepare the kids for the challenge ahead to give them a fighting chance. Fourth, Respect – earn respect by playing hard and not blaming others for their mistakes. People will appreciate a team when they see the team play hard and with heart even if they don’t win.”

Nolasco will be an assistant coach with the Philippine Jr. NBA-Alaska All-Star team for future international competitions.