THE ACCIDENTAL COACH
Everything happens for a reason.
And for new Alaska coach Alex Compton, his life path which shaped and led him to his position right now as the head coach of the Alaska Aces can be summed up in two words.
“Absolutely accidental,” he said.
With his Dad working in the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Silang, Cavite and his mom finishing her research in Laos, the young Compton was born in Makati Med 40 years ago. The family soon left the country to go back to the United States. Little did he know that his time with the Cornell University basketball team would affect his life on a major way.
“Bilang captain ball, palagi akong nasa coaches office, nanonood ng films kasama ang mga assistant coaches. Naguusap kami, nagkukwentuhan. Tapos isang araw, kwentuhan lang kami tapos yung coach (Tyrone Pitts) namin, alam kong nakapag-travel na at naging import na dati sa Europe. So tinanong ko sya kung saan pa sya napunta since world traveller din yung pamilya ko. So yun, nabanggit nya. In 1991, he played in the Philippines, and sabi ko, ‘Wow! Really, there’s basketball in the Philippines? That’s where I was born!’ So sabi nya, ‘You were born there? You know you could play there?’ So that’s how it all started,” Compton said.
“I talked to some agents, coaches, and they brought me over here when the MBA started. Nasa isip ko nga noon, maglalaro siguro ako ng dalawang taon tapos graduate school, masters. Yun talaga ang nasa isip ko. So humaba yung dalawang taon, from 1998, ngayon 2014 na,” he shared with a laugh.
Playing then in leagues like the MBA and the PBL, the 5-foot-11 Compton has developed an affinity to local hoops fans, and it was where he got his first brush of the triangle.
“Nung player pa ako with coach Louie (Alas), triangle ang ginagamit namin, and that was my best year as a player,” Compton recalled, as his then-team, the Manila Metrostars, won the championship with the shifty guard winning the MVP honors in 1999.
When the MBA folded and Compton ruled as ineligible for the PBL due to his age, he had nowhere to go given that he already accepted that he can’t play in the PBA since he is not a Filipino by blood.
But fate would soon smile again on the affable American.
“(Rain or Shine) Boss Raymond Yu was a good man and a good friend, and he called me. And he said, ‘You want to coach? I want you to be a coach in my team.’ I wasn’t thinking about coaching,” and that was where Compton got his start in the PBA, working as an assistant in the 2007-2008 season while doing occasional commentating duties.
Good things happen to good people, and four days before the conference started, lady luck again smiled on Compton. Before him was another shot at fulfilling another dream he thought could never be realized.
“The start was All-Filipino, ang alam ko coach lang ako at tapos na yung career ko. Retired na ko, di na ako maglalaro,” he said. “And then four days before the conference, sinabihan ako na pwede na akong maglaro. Special import daw. So wow.”
“It was really a blessing and I was grateful for the PBA dahil pinayagan nila ako and they gave me a special exception and didn’t have to do that. It was really kind,” Compton said, recalling the days when he suited up as the second import for the Welcoat franchise in the 2007 and 2008 Governors’ Cup.
On the side, Compton and fellow coach Eric Altamirano started a nationwide youth league: the NBTC, going to different provinces to discover and develop budding ballers from the grassroots. That signalled his exit from the E-Painters’ fray.
“Sabi ko sa kanila parang mahalaga ‘to para sa mga bata eh. Di ako pwedeng maging first assistant nyo dahil hindi fair sa kumpanya. So nag-resign ako,” he said.
But months later, he got another call-up to become once again an assistant coach, now for the Powerade Tigers under coach Bo Perasol.
“He is really a good friend and mentor, a Ninong to my baby, and he hired me sa Powerade, so I was with him for a while.”
After the sale of the Coke franchise to GlobalPort in 2012, Compton’s contract also expired. But he didn’t really have to wait in the unemployment line for long as Alaska was soon to knock on his doors.
“Luigi (Trillo) called me and talked to me. Alaska was a franchise that honestly, para sa akin, mataas ang respeto ko kahit dati pa dahil yung mga values na ine-espouse nila: integridad, disiplina, yung mga ganun, nasa puso ko yan. Gusto kong magtrabaho sa ganun. So when I got offered the job, there wasn’t any hesitation. That’s Alaska, that’s a nice organization,” he said.
Working for the Aces, he was soon reunited with his former coach Louie Alas, as well as a reintroduction to the triangle.
“Itong ikalawang taon ko sa Alaska, alam kong marami pa akong kulang sa triangle, but I like it, the guys like it. They know it’s hard, but when you’re comfortable with it, it helps the team,” he said.
And now, with the abrupt exit of Trillo, it was Compton who is thrust into the spotlight, mandated to steer the Aces once more to reclaim their former glory.
“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t ready for it and I hope that guys just keep playing like this,” said Compton, after Alaska scored a 103-91 victory over Talk ‘N text in his debut as a head coach.
But even in his first game as the lead bench tactician, Compton still feels like it’s an accidental break for him as the opposing Tropang Texters played sans an import, with Othyus Jeffers facing contractual issues back in the States.
“It’s good that we won. That was nice, but it was obviously a clear advantage for us,” he said.
But he didn’t really shut down the honor of coaching his first game in the 39-year-old league.
“Malaking karangalan sa akin ito, PBA ito e. This is the oldest league in Asia. They have the best fans, and I’m just honored to be here,” Compton said. “Itong laro, natuwa talaga ako sa mga players. It was really my players. I had zero magic up my sleeves so it’s just the guys.”
Although it was a shock of an appointment for Compton to steer his squad in a game after presiding only for one practice session, he believes that with the help of people around him, they can get things done.
“I need a lot of help. There’s so much I don’t know, I haven’t done this before and I’ll rely on our great players and the other great assistants around me,” he said. “Yung basketball, sobrang kumplikado para sa akin. Ang daming nangyayari, ang daming ginagawa, ang daming decisions. Di naman ako yung henyo na alam ko lahat yan. I need assistants, I need veteran players.”
“Rookie pa lang ako eh. There’s a lot of things I don’t know, and I need people who are knowledgeable behind me to support me.”
And he is lucky that Alas is there in his camp.
“He coached me in my most successful season as a player and I need him to coach me again as a coach. I’m going to rely on him, I’m going to lean on him, I need his wisdom and his insights. He’s super helpful and he knows the game. He’s a good teacher and I’m so fortunate that I have him,” said Compton.
With the triangle embedded in Alaska’s system for the longest time, it begs to ask if Compton will be changing the team’s tried and tested system for this Governors’ Cup.
“Square na ang tinatakbo namin,” he shared with a laugh.
But turning serious, Compton said, “There’s no way, imposible yan. Dalawang bagay yan, kung babaguhin namin ang sistema sa isang araw pa lang, either stupid kami or imposible yun. We have a system in place, maraming championships na yung nabigay ng system na yan, so wala akong oras dyan. Di natin babaguhin yung sistema at least this conference.”
“We just have to try to be better,” he said.
And who knows, maybe Compton will “accidentally” stumble again into a championship in the near future.
One thing’s for sure though, the American coach with the pusong Pinoy will be here to stay.
“Mahal ko ang bansa na ‘to,” Compton said. (RL)
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