Jack Santiago, a cerebral guard during his playing days, but became more successful as a member of La Salle’s coaching staff, headed by Franz Pumaren several years ago, watched JVee Casio rise to stardom when the latter was still playing for the Green Archers and became a part of the 2007 UAAP champion team.
Casio was then a star player from San Beda high school, but the Green Archers had to gradually immerse his talent and mold him to become a leader at the latter stretch of his collegiate career. True enough, Casio has become one of the most dependable guards in the PBA today.
“Si JVee Casio, nu’ng kinuha namin ‘yan for La Salle noon, star player talaga siya ng team, but we have to integrate his talent to our system and slowly lang ‘yung ginawa namin sa kanya while he was still adjusting to the college style of play,” said Santiago, the newly-appointed coach of the University of the East Red Warriors. “But he became a star and turned out to be one of the leaders of the team when we won the championship in 2007.”
Casio continued to embrace that leadership role with the Alaska Aces and is now one of the acknowledged elder statesmen of the team.
Santiago is envisioning a similar mindset on his new recruit, Migs Pascual, the graduating student and team captain of the San Beda high school basketball team.
Pascual had already committed to play for Santiago’s UE team and similar to Casio before, the coach sees this young player to become an integral part once he joins the Red Warriors when the new season of the UAAP starts two years from now.
“Based naman sa nakita ko sa kanya, sa San Beda, impressive naman siya,” said Santiago. “But of course, ganu’n rin gagawin natin. Dadahan-dahanin lang natin siya, especially during his rookie season with the team.”
A point guard just like Casio, Pascual was a member of last year’s San Beda high school champion team. He was also a former co-captain of the Batang Gilas squad several years ago.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced a stoppage on most of the major basketball events in the country, Pascual was reduced to doing skills workouts and spent the General Community Quarantine period training under some of the finest coaches—BA great Allan Caidic with his shooting and ex-pro Rob Labagala with his ball handling and defensive skills.