Ryan Gregorio
Encyclopedia
Paul Ryan C. Gregorio is a Filipino
professional basketball head coach of the Meralco Bolts
in the Philippine Basketball Association
. He began his PBA head coaching job with the Purefoods TJ Giants in 2002 on an acting capacity and won his first PBA Championship on the same year at the age of 29. He was also a former player (92,93,94) and coach (2001) of the UP Fighting Maroons
in the UAAP, before coaching in the pro league. He is a three-time PBA Champion Coach, a three-time PBA All-Star Coach and a three-time PBA Coach of the Year awardee. He and Chot Reyes
are the only distinguished PBA coaches who won at least 3 COY accolades. He is also the first and only coach in the league history to win a championship as an interim coach in 2002. Gregorio is a graduate of the University of The Philippines with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Major in Film and Audio-Visual Communication (Batch 1994).
with Purefoods.
However, in 2002, Altamirano was hired as an assistant coach for the Philippine national basketball team, and Gregorio was named as the interim coach of the TJ Hotdogs. Under Gregorio's hands, Purefoods won the 2002 Governor's Cup with a 4-3 series victory over the Alaska Aces
. The team was led by imports Derrick Brown, Kelvin Price and Best Player of the Conference winner Rey Evangelista. Gregorio coached the team to a dismal performance in the Commissioner's Cup before Altamirano regained coaching duties in the All-Filipino Cup. Despite this, Gregorio was rewarded, along with then-Coca-Cola Tigers
mentor Chot Reyes
as co-winner of the PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year Award.
In 2003
, Gregorio became the full-time head coach of Purefoods, after Altamirano was tasked to head the San Miguel All-Stars team.
, Paul Artadi
, Peter June Simon
and the vastly improved Kerby Raymundo
. Despite Purefoods' sorry stint in the 2004 Fiesta Conference, the team went on to finish two quarterfinals' stints in the Philippine Cup and the 2005 Fiesta Conference.
would be Gregorio's finest season yet, he would lead the Purefoods Chunkee Giants to two finals appearances, a runner-up finish in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, and a championship against Red Bull in the Philippine Cup Finals, winning in 6 games, 4-2. Prior to the finals meeting with Red Bull, he would bring his team back to life after being down 1 - 3 in the Semi-Finals vs. Alaska. The series victory vs. Alaska would be remembered as one of the best comebacks in the PBA history. He once again coached his team to its second championship in the last four years. The 2006 success earned him his second Coach of the Year Award.
was diagnosed with throat cancer and forced Purefoods TJ Giants to trade key player Marc Pingris
to San Miguel Beermen
for big man Enrico Villanueva
. This signaled a major revamp with Gregorio's team lineup and a losing season finishing with only 15 in 32 elimination round games. He only managed to stir his team through the wildcard in both conferences. His team would end both tournaments in controversies, a bottle-throwing incident between his player James Yap
against assistant coach Koy Banal and the benching of reinforcement Marquin Chandler
on separate do-or-die games the TJ Giants consequently lost.
, Paul Artadi
together with veteran center Rafi Reavis
, and rookie standout Rico Maierhofer
, his team would finish as champions in the 2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup Finals
defeating the Alaska Aces
4 - 0. The sweep is the first time in the history of the All-Filipino Conference.
This however marked the end of Gregorio's era as Llamados coach with his transfer to Meralco Bolts
. He would eventually become the franchise's winningest and longest-tenured head coach with 3 championships in 8 seasons as Purefoods/B-Meg coach.
Timeline with Purefoods:
1997 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Assistant Coach)
1997 - Runner-Up - Governor's Cup (Assistant Coach)
2002 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Interim Head Coach)
2006 - Runner-Up - Fiesta Conference (Head Coach)
2006 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
2008 - Runner-Up - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
2010 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
Gregorio was succeeded by his assistant and multi-titled Philippine Basketball League
coach Jorge Gallent
returnee Manila Electric Company (Meralco Bolts
). He is also concurrently part of Meralco’s corporate staff as Assistant Vice President for Sports and Youth Advocacy and Head of Basketball Operations.
2008 - Head Coach North All-Stars (Lost) ; Bacolod City
2010 - Head Coach North All-Stars (Won) ; Puerto Princesa City
2006 - Winner (PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year)
2010 - Winner (PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year)
(Sports Brand).
Aside from coaching and doing sports broadcasts, Gregorio enjoys spending quality time with his family. A son of UP System
Vice President for Administration Martin Gregorio and science specialist Lucille Gregorio, he is married to Jin Salgado-Gregorio and has 2 children, Ysabelle Marie and Ramon Jose.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
professional basketball head coach of the Meralco Bolts
Meralco Bolts
The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2010 when the Manila Electric Company bought the Sta...
in the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
. He began his PBA head coaching job with the Purefoods TJ Giants in 2002 on an acting capacity and won his first PBA Championship on the same year at the age of 29. He was also a former player (92,93,94) and coach (2001) of the UP Fighting Maroons
UP Fighting Maroons
The Fighting Maroons is the name of the collegiate men's varsity teams of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the Lady Maroons. They compete in all of the sports of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines . The University of the...
in the UAAP, before coaching in the pro league. He is a three-time PBA Champion Coach, a three-time PBA All-Star Coach and a three-time PBA Coach of the Year awardee. He and Chot Reyes
Chot Reyes
Vincent P. Reyes , better known as Chot Reyes, is a Filipino basketball head coach of the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
are the only distinguished PBA coaches who won at least 3 COY accolades. He is also the first and only coach in the league history to win a championship as an interim coach in 2002. Gregorio is a graduate of the University of The Philippines with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Major in Film and Audio-Visual Communication (Batch 1994).
Career
Prior to his head coaching chores with Purefoods, Gregorio was an assistant coach and video coordinator of Eric AltamiranoEric Altamirano
Eric Altamirano is a former Filipino basketball player. He is currently the head coach of the National University Bulldogs.-Early career:...
with Purefoods.
However, in 2002, Altamirano was hired as an assistant coach for the Philippine national basketball team, and Gregorio was named as the interim coach of the TJ Hotdogs. Under Gregorio's hands, Purefoods won the 2002 Governor's Cup with a 4-3 series victory over the Alaska Aces
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
. The team was led by imports Derrick Brown, Kelvin Price and Best Player of the Conference winner Rey Evangelista. Gregorio coached the team to a dismal performance in the Commissioner's Cup before Altamirano regained coaching duties in the All-Filipino Cup. Despite this, Gregorio was rewarded, along with then-Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
mentor Chot Reyes
Chot Reyes
Vincent P. Reyes , better known as Chot Reyes, is a Filipino basketball head coach of the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
as co-winner of the PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year Award.
In 2003
2003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
, Gregorio became the full-time head coach of Purefoods, after Altamirano was tasked to head the San Miguel All-Stars team.
2004-05 Re-Building the Giants
In the 2004-05 season, Gregorio coached the Purefoods team, retooled with amateur stars James YapJames Yap
James Carlos Yap Sr. is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, Paul Artadi
Paul Artadi
Paul Anthony Dy Artadi is a professional Filipino basketball player for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association....
, Peter June Simon
Peter June Simon
Peter June Simon is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association playing for the B-Meg Llamados. In the 2008 PBA All-Star Game, he was voted as the Most Valuable Player.-College:...
and the vastly improved Kerby Raymundo
Kerby Raymundo
Kerby Mariano Raymundo is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association...
. Despite Purefoods' sorry stint in the 2004 Fiesta Conference, the team went on to finish two quarterfinals' stints in the Philippine Cup and the 2005 Fiesta Conference.
2005-06 Championship Run
The 2005-06 PBA season2005-06 PBA season
-Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: Red Bull def. Purefoods , 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade *Third place: Air21 -Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: (3) Red Bull (9-7) def. (1) Purefoods (10-6), 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade (Red Bull)*Third place: Air21 -Final...
would be Gregorio's finest season yet, he would lead the Purefoods Chunkee Giants to two finals appearances, a runner-up finish in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, and a championship against Red Bull in the Philippine Cup Finals, winning in 6 games, 4-2. Prior to the finals meeting with Red Bull, he would bring his team back to life after being down 1 - 3 in the Semi-Finals vs. Alaska. The series victory vs. Alaska would be remembered as one of the best comebacks in the PBA history. He once again coached his team to its second championship in the last four years. The 2006 success earned him his second Coach of the Year Award.
2007-08 All-Filipino Finals Appearance
Gregorio started the 2007-2008 season with a bang. He led his team to a 5-game sweep of the pre-tournament games and would eventually bag the Pre-Tournament Championship. He would continue his mastery of the All-Filipino Conference as he led his team to a 7-0 start and finished with 12 wins and 6 losses, enough to push the team to the Semi-Finals. He would lead his team to another trip to the Finals, his third. However, his team would eventually lose to Sta. Lucia in 7 games via a controversial series.2008-09 Skid
The 2008-09 PBA season became one of Gregorio's worst seasons. Starting center Rommel AdduculRommel Adducul
Romel Adducul is a professional basketball player from the Philippines who currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers....
was diagnosed with throat cancer and forced Purefoods TJ Giants to trade key player Marc Pingris
Marc Pingris
Jean Marc Pingris, Jr. is a Filipino professional basketball player in the PBA for the B-Meg Llamados. He is a versatile 6-foot-5 forward-center that can post up and shoot mid-range jumpshots. He is half-French and half-Filipino...
to San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
for big man Enrico Villanueva
Enrico Villanueva
Jose Enrico P. Villanueva , better known simply as Enrico Villanueva, and by the nicknames Raging Bull and E-Vill, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association...
. This signaled a major revamp with Gregorio's team lineup and a losing season finishing with only 15 in 32 elimination round games. He only managed to stir his team through the wildcard in both conferences. His team would end both tournaments in controversies, a bottle-throwing incident between his player James Yap
James Yap
James Carlos Yap Sr. is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association...
against assistant coach Koy Banal and the benching of reinforcement Marquin Chandler
Marquin Chandler
Marquin Theo Jimmy Chandler is an American professional basketball forward.-Early life and college:Chandler was born in Berkeley, California, the oldest of three children, and graduated from Newark Memorial High School at Newark, California in 2000...
on separate do-or-die games the TJ Giants consequently lost.
2009-10: Farewell Season with Purefoods Franchise
Gregorio guided his team in the 2009-10 PBA season to a record 41 wins. James Yap would earn his 2nd season MVP award. With the return of old reliables Marc PingrisMarc Pingris
Jean Marc Pingris, Jr. is a Filipino professional basketball player in the PBA for the B-Meg Llamados. He is a versatile 6-foot-5 forward-center that can post up and shoot mid-range jumpshots. He is half-French and half-Filipino...
, Paul Artadi
Paul Artadi
Paul Anthony Dy Artadi is a professional Filipino basketball player for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association....
together with veteran center Rafi Reavis
Rafi Reavis
Rafael Pangilinan "Rafi" Reavis is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is well-known for his good shotblocking abilities...
, and rookie standout Rico Maierhofer
Rico Maierhofer
Paul Rico Maierhofer is a Filipino-Austrian professional basketball player who will play for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in 2009....
, his team would finish as champions in the 2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup Finals
2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup Finals
The 2009-10 PBA Philippine Cup Finals is the championship basketball best-of-7 series of the 2009-10 PBA Philippine Cup, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs...
defeating the Alaska Aces
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
4 - 0. The sweep is the first time in the history of the All-Filipino Conference.
This however marked the end of Gregorio's era as Llamados coach with his transfer to Meralco Bolts
Meralco Bolts
The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2010 when the Manila Electric Company bought the Sta...
. He would eventually become the franchise's winningest and longest-tenured head coach with 3 championships in 8 seasons as Purefoods/B-Meg coach.
Timeline with Purefoods:
1997 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Assistant Coach)
1997 - Runner-Up - Governor's Cup (Assistant Coach)
2002 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Interim Head Coach)
2006 - Runner-Up - Fiesta Conference (Head Coach)
2006 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
2008 - Runner-Up - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
2010 - Champion - All-Filipino Cup (Head Coach)
Gregorio was succeeded by his assistant and multi-titled Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
coach Jorge Gallent
Jorge Gallent
Jorge Gallent is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association.-UAAP Days:...
2010-present: Meralco Bolts Head Coach and Sports Development Executive
In August 2010, Gregorio left B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados and signed a coaching deal with the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
returnee Manila Electric Company (Meralco Bolts
Meralco Bolts
The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2010 when the Manila Electric Company bought the Sta...
). He is also concurrently part of Meralco’s corporate staff as Assistant Vice President for Sports and Youth Advocacy and Head of Basketball Operations.
3 -Time PBA All-Star Coach
2006 - Head Coach North All-Stars (Won) ; Laoag City2008 - Head Coach North All-Stars (Lost) ; Bacolod City
2010 - Head Coach North All-Stars (Won) ; Puerto Princesa City
3-Time PBA Coach of the Year
2002 - Co-Winner (PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year) with Chot Reyes2006 - Winner (PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year)
2010 - Winner (PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year)
Personal life
Gregorio is a firm believer of the "Impossible is Nothing" slogan of AdidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
(Sports Brand).
Aside from coaching and doing sports broadcasts, Gregorio enjoys spending quality time with his family. A son of UP System
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
Vice President for Administration Martin Gregorio and science specialist Lucille Gregorio, he is married to Jin Salgado-Gregorio and has 2 children, Ysabelle Marie and Ramon Jose.
