Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758887625060LA.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Magnolia Hotshots new coach LA Tenorio. <em>Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA – Will we be seeing LA Tenorio suit up again soon? The new Magnolia Hotshots head coach did not dismiss the possibility of playing for the team.</p><p>Tenorio confirmed the development to reporters during PBA Media Day on Friday.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m part of the lineup. I think I&#x27;m part of the injury list. So yeah, so we&#x27;ll see. It depends on the management. But for now I&#x27;m not focused on that. My [playing] rights is with Magnolia now,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;I saw the final lineup that we submitted the other day and I was in the injury list. So I have a chance. May chance. But we&#x27;ll see,&quot; Tenorio added.</p><p>The former Barangay Ginebra guard said he even joined the team&#x27;s full practice on Friday, before heading to PBA Media Day.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/9/26/pba-stanley-pringle-aims-to-help-rain-or-shine-get-past-hump-and-win-title-0015"><strong>READ: PBA: Stanley Pringle aims to help Rain or Shine get past hump and win title<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Kanina sumali ako sa practice. From time to time I&#x27;m joining, sumasali ako ng practice. You never know,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Every time I join practice, tingin ko may magandang nangyayari eh. Mas nakikita nila kung ano &#x27;yung mga gusto kong ituro sa kanila, gusto kong ituro sa kanya. Mas nakikita nila &#x27;pag ginagawa ko in real time,&quot; the newly installed mentor added.</p><p>When asked about the team&#x27;s preparations for the PBA&#x27;s golden season, Tenorio said he does not put too much pressure on his team but they are progressing day by day.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/9/25/pba-abueva-focused-on-season-50-preps-amid-looming-northport-sale-2327"><strong>READ: PBA: Abueva focused on Season 50 preps amid looming NorthPort sale<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;I like what I saw awhile ago in practice. We&#x27;re progressing. I think kung &#x27;yun ang itatanong sa akin, our team is progressing. Every day we&#x27;re getting better. The young players, the new players are adapting the system right away,&quot; he shared.</p><p>Tenorio said if ever he becomes a playing coach, he said it will be a tough decision.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s hard, basically it&#x27;s gonna be a hard decision for. Because siyempre, nag-co-coach ako, at the same time naglalaro. I think there&#x27;s only one, one person can only do that. It&#x27;s Coach Sonny [Jaworski]. Respect tayo diyan,&quot; he explained.</p><p>&quot;Kung magagawa ko, why not? We&#x27;ll see, we&#x27;ll see. Playing coach and injury list. Ang dami ko nang ginagawa,&quot; Tenorio said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FROM COACH LA TO TEAMMATE?</strong></div><p>Magnolia veteran Mark Barroca said they were surprised to have Tenorio join them in practice.</p><p>&quot;Nagulat nga ako kanina nag 5-on-5 teammate kaming dalawa kanina. So sobrang happy ako kasi ilang years ko siyang kalaban. Pag-start ko ng PBA kalaban ko na siya eh,&quot; Barroca said.</p><p>&quot;So ngayon magkakasama kami dalawa... Pasahan lang, excited kami, kalaban namin &#x27;yung mga bata. So itong practice namin kahit pagod kami pero nag-e-enjoy kami,&quot; he added.</p><p>Barroca said one can really see the passion of Tenorio for the game, including his basketball IQ. He even joked that Tenorio drained the most shots during practice.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/9/26/pba-kevin-ferrer-feels-like-a-rookie-with-new-team-tnt-1819"><strong>READ: PBA: Kevin Ferrer feels like a &#x27;rookie&#x27; with new team TNT<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Nakita ko talaga kung gaano siya smart sa laro. Akala mo lang ngayon siya nagkaka-edad. Pero &#x27;di mo alam &#x27;yung experience, nakikita mo. Nagugulat na lang kami &#x27;yung tinuturo niya sa amin. Nagagaya ng mga bata,&quot; he shared.</p><p>&quot;Nakikita ko &#x27;yung winning culture na madadala niya talaga dito sa team namin,&quot; Barroca added.</p><p>One of Magnolia&#x27;s young guns Xavier Lucero said he was excited to have Coach Tenorio suit up during practice.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s only suited up for us three times, it&#x27;s been good every time. It&#x27;s fun,&quot; he said.</p><p>Lucero said he&#x27;s looking forward to possibly playing alongside Tenorio, who he was not able to face when the latter was still with Barangay Ginebra.</p><p>&quot;He didn&#x27;t get so many minutes when I was playing against Ginebra. But now that I&#x27;ve seen him on the floor with us, he can still go. If he was on the floor, if they can somehow make it work, I mean by all means. He&#x27;s still one of the best, smartest players we have in the PBA,&quot; Lucero shared.</p><p>&quot;If there&#x27;s a guy who&#x27;s fit enough to do it, it would be LA. I welcome it. I&#x27;m sure it will be fun,&quot; he said of Tenorio as a playing coach.</p><p>With the eight-time PBA champion on Magnolia&#x27;s injured/reserve list, this paves the way for him to return to the court in the near future.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED STORY:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nzDrSpB5LYc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDGbgQ77XWw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>"Kanina sumali ako sa practice. From time to time I'm joining, sumasali ako ng practice. You never know." #PBA50 </p>

"Kanina sumali ako sa practice. From time to time I'm joining, sumasali ako ng practice. You never know." #PBA50

LA as playing coach? Tenorio confirms he's on Magnolia's injured list

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LA as playing coach? Tenorio confirms he's on Magnolia's injured list

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 26, 2025 08:06 PM PHT

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Updated September 27, 2025 05:28 PM PHT

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