AFTER a storybook ending to his college career for Ateneo, Jacob Lao is ready to open another chapter in his budding career as the youngest basketball executive in the Philippines.
Mr. Lao, only 22 years old, is set to debut as the assistant team manager of new PBA franchise Converge in the 2023 Governors’ Cup after a sweet championship with the Blue Eagles in the just-concluded UAAP Season 85.
This early, the youthful and amiable executive can’t wait for his first day at the office when the calendar flips to 2023.
“I’ll start in January… I still have to finish my school but I only have a subject left so nothing much to do. I’m going to be be ready and focused on that. I’m excited for 2023 and what’s in store for Converge,” said Mr. Lao, who’s bound to finish BS Restaurant Entrepreneurship in Ateneo.
Mr. Lao led a group of Blue Eagles known as “The Buffaloes,” who simulated the plays of Ateneo’s opponents, credited as one of the keys to their thrilling winner-take-all finals win against rival University of the Philippines.
The group was cited by Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin and the rest of the team for their commitment and discipline, which Mr. Lao is expected to carry over to the PBA.
For his managerial debut, Mr. Lao will be working hand-in-hand with Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda, who has been appointed as the FiberXers team manager.
Mr. Lao is the son of Frank Lao, who owns the Gloria Maris and Choi Garden restaurants, and a close friend of Converge owner Dennis Anthony Uy.
Mr. Lao is up for the task, crediting the guidance of his father, who laid the groundwork for his unconventional transition from UAAP to PBA career.
“It’s very pressuring… (but) pressure is privilege for other people. I’m blessed to be in this position and to have that title, pero dahil iyun sa tatay ko talaga (that was due to my father). I just want to grow, learn, and try to do a good job for Converge,” he said.
“I think the reason why my dad put me there was ideas, I know the incoming players from college. Converge is a new team. With coach Aldin Ayo, we want new guys, fresh young kids. We want to bring great kind of basketball. We have a long term plan for a lot of kids that we are scouting now.” — John Bryan Ulanday
