As this writer puts it, “everything Norman Black touches turns into gold,” and Meralco import Arinze Onuaku sure proved this as he bagged the Best Import trophy this week. It has been 31 years since Norman Black received the award himself.
What does Norman have that other coaches don’t? PeopleAsia provide the answers.
By GREGGY V. VERA CRUZ
Still remembered for coaching the Ateneo Blue Eagles during their five-peat championship and reeling from a barrage of media coverage on- and off-court, current Meralco Bolts coach Norman Augustus Black is just not ready to rest. He is, in fact, constantly kept on his toes with numerous engagements and various extra-curricular activities.
For a year, he played for the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Detroit Pistons. A couple of years after college, Norman, who ticks the tape at 6’5â€, was recruited to come to the country in 1981 to play for the Tefilin Fibermakers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The following years saw him playing for San Miguel, Great Taste and Alaska.
1985 proved to be a milestone as far as Norman’s career was concerned, being the playing coach for the San Miguel Beermen at 28. He eventually retired his jersey for good and focused on being a full-time coach for other professional basketball teams like the Mobiline Phone Pals, Pop Cola 800s and the Sta. Lucia Realtors.
On the court, despite alleged provocations from opposing teams, Norman keeps his legendary cool.
“I admit I lose my cool sometimes. It’s just that I have a hard time getting really upset during games, and then being able to recover within that game. It’s just a choice. I try to keep my composure during games because I want to stay focused. A lot of times, if you lose your composure, your players also lose theirs,†the alumnus of St. Joseph University in Philadelphia states matter-of-factly.
From the PBA to the UAAP and back again to the PBA, indeed, his expertise, strategies and coaching skills are very much in demand. One cannot help but inadvertently ask what makes Norman Black as a coach a cut above the rest?
“There are other coaches out there who are talented as well. I’m just hardworking. I have a system that I utilize when preparing for games by physically and mentally conditioning the players. We want to keep our players fresh and hopefully, injury-free. I try to execute that for every game; I don’t take any games off.
(Kiefer Ravena of the Ateneo Blue Eagles was a perfect match for Norman Black’s coaching)
“We also want to know the other teams inside and out — what they do both offensively and defensively. We don’t want to come out with a game plan unprepared. You also have to sell that system to your players for them to go out (on the court) and execute it for you,†Norman reveals.
It is but evident that his return to the pro league disheartened, not just a few of his UAAP followers, more so those from the Blue Eagles’ nest. Asked about what he would like to be remembered for upon leaving the soaring Eagles, the coach pauses for a moment and sits back more comfortably.
“It’s probably the fact that we were able to establish a very strong foundation program. When I came in and joined the Ateneo Blue Eagles as head coach, the first thing that me and Paolo Trillo (the team manager) tried to do was to establish a recruiting network; we figured out very quickly that no matter how good of a coach you are, if you don’t have good players, you’re not going to win,†reminisces Norman.
(Norman Black’s photography by HAROLD TAPAN)
Editor’s note: The article containing these excerpts was first published in PeopleAsia’s December 2012 – January 2013 issue. Norman Black was given a PeopleAsia “People of the Year” award in 2012.Â
