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On September 2, 2018, Nash Racela was nowhere to be found during TNT’s game against Columbian at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, their sixth game in the PBA Governor’s Cup.
It would be the last time Racela was heard from at the PBA in almost two years.
Although the former College Coach of the Year would still be seen on the sidelines with Far Eastern University at UAAP and Iloilo at MPBL, Racela revealed that he refused to watch PBA games.
“I wouldn’t deny that after I got kicked out of Talk ‘N Text, I somehow lost interest in the PBA. I haven’t been training the game for at least a year, kahit na andoon si Olsen (Racela) sa Geneva. I wasn’t really watching the games. “
But you can’t hold back a good man.
In late 2019, Racela found herself back in the major leagues when Blackwater selected him to run the franchise’s fortune.
For most, rust would have been a problem. Racela, however, would not show any.
During their debut on November 12, Blackwater stunned Northport 96-89. Three days later, the Elite rose to their feet before stacked Guinevere, falling by just four, 99-103.
Then on Saturday night, Racela and Blackwater defeated Yeng Guiao and NLEX, 98-88.
What he gained from his experiences at UAAP and MPBL was learning about the trends of both future players and coaches at the PBA.
“Most of them, I know them as players. I think the team trends are the same, these are the same coaches. Against a lot of them I trained in college, the new coaches, I mean, and in the D-League. Some players are familiar with me in PBA and some of them I saw in MPBL,”Racela shared.
“So those are the things that really helped me gradually feel comfortable as a coach again in the PBA.”
Finding her balance, Racela can now focus on building a winning culture for Blackwater, a team that has struggled in its first six years at the PBA.
“What really helped me was the number one, the young coaches and players that we have. They have been helping me a lot, giving input. Hindi lang naman ako ang nagde-decide, it is a collective decision. This is how I build a culture in a team ”.
