Freddie Webb letting son Jason come into his own as Star coach
PBA legend Freddie Webb watched his son Jason’s debut as the Star’s head coach from a distance at Mall of Asia Arena last Wednesday.
When asked whether he had given pointers to Jason, who took over the coaching reins from a multititled coach in Tim Cone, ahead of the match, the elder Webb was frank with his answer.
“I told him none,” he said.
Jason and Hotshots later on bowed to Rain or Shine, 96-87, in the opener of the 2015 Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup, but Freddie is confident that his son will soon figure things out with Star, even without his guidance.
“Jason is his own man. He’s old enough so he knows how to feel a game and how to push the right buttons. I don’t have to give him any pointers because whatever I’ve gone through, he’s gone through,” said Freddie.
“I used to be a player, I used to coach, he knows how a player feels, when he needs to take them out or put them in. Every player has their own qualities, some can off the bench, some are good and some cannot. He has to play a psychological game with his players.”
While Freddie was happy to see a system in place for Star, he kept his reservations when it came to assessing his son’s coaching, especially this early in the conference.
“You’ll never gauge it after one game. It’s got to be a series of games. I think after the sixth game, tsaka mo lang malalaman how well he’s coaching,” said the former senator.
If there was one thing that Freddie wanted to remind Jason about being a mentor, it was that it’s never going to be easy being the head coach—especially after losses.
“He has to embrace the fact that coaches will be the first to be blamed after a loss,” said Webb. “I’m in pins and needles, but needless to say, I hope he does well.”
It certainly doesn’t get any easier for the younger Webb as the Star Hotshots cross swords with their former mentor Cone and his Ginebra Kings on Sunday.
Webb served as a deputy for Cone with the Hotshots.
FEATURED STORIES
Read Next
EDITORS' PICK
MOST READ
Don't miss out on the latest news and information. 
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
