The 51-year old Chot has been coaching for 30 years now, starting while still a college student at the Ateneo. At the age of 29, he became the youngest coach to win as a first timer in the All Filipino Conference with him coaching the Coney Island Stars of Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera, known now as Purefoods. He got married when he was 19. He and his wife Cherry owns the Toni & Guy Hair Salon franchise. Cherry is the hairdresser of Pres. Noynoy Aquino since he was a senator. They have four kids: Josh or Ice is 31 and has been asst. coach in Talk n Text since 2008, Moses is 27 and is into information design, Isaiah is 23 and plays with the San Beda Team B, the youngest and only girl is Rebecca, 19, now taking up interdisciplinary studies at Ateneo.
For TV5, the first big event coming up is “Super Bowl 48”, America’s biggest sporting spectacle. “We’ll bring the opening in all its glory, including the half time with Bruno Mars performing. This will be aired staring 7:30 AM on February 3, Monday. On February 8 naman, we’ll show the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, Russia, with 17-year old figure skater Michael Martinez as the first homegrown Filipino to compete in the games. Also in February, we’ll give you ‘Ronda Pilipinas’, the biggest local cycling competition in a 14-stage, 1,800 km. race with both local and foreign cyclists competing. We’ll give a roundup every night at 10 PM. In March, we’ll bring basketball action in the ‘U.S. NCAA March Madness’.”
And there’s more for the rest of the year. From August 16 to 28, they’ll cover the 2014 Youth Olympics to be held in Nanjing, China where there’ll be 222 medal events in 28 sports. And in September, they’ll bring you the Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea, where the best Filipino athletes will compete against the best in Asia. And of course, Sports5 will continue delivering sports action with the PBA, UFL and NCAA. The excitement of the current 39th season of the PBA will grow as Asia’s first professional basketball league celebrates its 40th anniversary in October. All these thrilling sports events will be shown not only on free TV with TV5, AksyonTV and Hyper, but also on your cellfones, Ipads, online and other electronic devices for the new generation of viewers.
What does Coach Chot think of the chances of the Smart Gilas team when they compete at FIBA in Spain later? “Very slim. The other countries have started preparing this early. E, tayo, kakausapin ko pa lang ang PBA sa Thursday about the skeds of their players who’ll be part of the team of 12 players who’d leave their teams and be full time Smart Gilas to join FIBA. I really hope they’ll give us enough time to train and prepare. It’ll be a sacrifice naman for the honor of our country. We will be featuring the players in a series of docus to be shown starting February 17, Monday, 8PM, in ‘Kuwentong Gilas, The Road to Spain’. You’ll discover a lot about your favorite players. Ang ibang kuwento nila, nakakaiyak, so don’t miss it.”
