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PBA: Tearful Ariel Vanguardia dedicates Phoenix win to late mentor

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/12/28/pba-122816.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Coach Ariel Vanguardia says he owes a lot to his mentor Adriano &quot;Bong&quot; Go. Photo from the PBA Images</div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Coach Ariel Vanguardia was emotional following Phoenix&#x27;s stunning comeback win against GlobalPort Wednesday night.The Fuel Masters battled from 26 points down to carve out a 101-99 win against the hot-shooting Batang Pier.Vanguardia thanked his players for persisting in the face of near defeat.&quot;We didn&#x27;t quit. That&#x27;s important,&quot; he said. &quot;I saw it in their eyes that we&#x27;ll still play this game, we still have a chance.&quot;But above all, Vanguardia thanked his former coach, the late Adriano &quot;Bong&quot; Go for teaching him the rudiments of the game.&quot;I started my coaching with him, that&#x27;s why I dedicate this win to him,&quot; Vanguardia said while fighting back his tears.Go, who coached several college teams including Ateneo de Manila, University of Perpetual Help, and College of Saint Benilde, passed away Monday night following a stroke. He was 66.Go also worked as an assistant for PBA teams including Presto, Talk N Text, Purefoods and Pepsi.&quot;If not for him, I didn&#x27;t play UAAP ball, I didn&#x27;t play sa Team B ng La Salle, didn&#x27;t play ABL,&quot; Vanguardia said.Vanguardia began working as an assistant coach for Go with the College of Saint Benilde in 1998.&quot;But he took a chance on me as an assistant coach with no knowledge, no barangay coaching, I just went there. I was a child and I learned a lot from him,” Vanguardia said.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Vanguardia thanked his former coach, the late Adriano "Bong" Go for teaching him the rudiments of the game. Go died on Monday.

Vanguardia thanked his former coach, the late Adriano "Bong" Go for teaching him the rudiments of the game. Go died on Monday.