Don’t cry for Olsen

And then... there was none.

It’s official.

After weeks of speculation, the Petron Blaze Boosters have decided to drop rookie head coach Olsen Racela in favor of the more seasoned Gee Abanilla. This, after Racela’s failed Philippine Cup campaign and the huge “what if” that clouded the Boosters’ Commissioner’s Cup stint.

From what we’ve gathered, Racela has been moved to sister team San Mig Coffee Mixers and “demoted” to assistant coach under Hall of Famer Tim Cone and alongside his peers Johnny Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso among others.

We’ve always said that the Boosters’ head coaching gig was a knee-jerk reaction by Team SMC if only to quash any chances of their rival, Team MVP, to get Racela. Already showing signs of promise despite “big stage” shortcomings in the amateurs (contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t get any bigger than coaching a National team, regardless of age or tournament), Racela is to be considered one of Team SMC's prized wards (having played for both Purefoods and San Miguel during his heydays) that could’ve been landed a huge blow courtesy of Team MVP.

So they brought him in regardless of the fact that he hasn’t even made a dent as a coach in the amateurs (no high school championship/s even). No, that wasn’t going to be an issue (initially). Racela had potential, and having played with some of the names on the Boosters’ roster, obviously had their support. To teach him or bring him up to speed was Toroman as consultant. That was the set-up. That was how it was supposed to pan out despite all the controversy, opposition and flak they received.

But Toroman was, well, over-bearing as a consultant. It became obvious that he was the team’s true coach with Racela often taking a backseat during timeouts or even at crucial moments. Coaches defer to their assistants in certain situations, but the Toroman-Racela partnership was not fooling anyone.

So Toroman was sent away with Racela given the opportunity to coach the Boosters his way. For a while, they started winning games in the Commissioner’s Cup. But if you looked closely, little changes were made system-wise. They started winning because they had an import who was head and shoulders above the rest. They started winning because everyone fed off their import. In the games that they lost with their initial import, it was more of the opposing team’s coach pretty much canceling out the Boosters' super import while Racela was left scratching his head and unable to make the necessary on-court adjustments.

For those who care to argue, it’s almost like the Doug Collins-Michael Jordan partnership in the late 80s. Collins was a solid coach, but they won more because of MJ. When a brilliant mind like Phil Jackson came on board, well, you know the rest.

That being said, we urge Boosters and Racela fans not to cry for their seemingly “fallen” hero.

He might have been demoted by title, but he gets a new lease on life as a coach. Now under Tim Cone over at the Mixers’ front, Racela will learn from the best and get to pick a Hall of Famer’s brain to the hilt. There will be no issues about Cone having full control over Racela like with Toroman since the roles are crystal clear. Cone is the head coach, Racela, his assistant.

A time will come when Racela (and Abarrientos) will learn enough about the game from a coaching perspective and win many titles be it in the PBA or the amateurs (think Boyet Fernandez who earned his stripes under Alfrancis Chua and others before winning with Santa Lucia).

Abanilla on the other hand will man the Boosters’ bench—a few weeks removed (literally) from another Team SMC-backed squad, the UAAP’s De La Salle Green Archers. Rumors already have it that Abanilla will be “guided” by ex-ABL Indonesia Warriors champion coach Todd Purves the same way Racela started the season alongside now Barako Bull Energy Cola consultant and former SMART Gilas Pilipinas head coach Rajko Toroman.

With the Abanilla pick, Team SMC wins not only because they’re getting guys like Leo Austria of the UAAP’s Adamson Falcons and eventually, Purves—but because Abanilla learned the coaching game from one of the league’s best, the man that Team SMC just can’t seem to pocket after all these years, Yeng Guiao.

Now, we haven’t seen enough of Abanilla as a coach to make any solid comparisons here, but anyone who can survive serving under Guiao gets our nod (for now).

Did Team SMC make the right decision?