FROM the very start, I had no doubts that Olsen Racela had what it takes to coach and I am happy to have somewhat paved the way for the start of his coaching career.

Again erasing the perception that great players can have difficulty moving over to the bench, Olsen was a natural, being a guard and one of the few with a high basketball IQ and a deep appreciation of the game, perhaps inherited from a long line of coaches like coach Jong Uichico, Chot Reyes and perhaps, who would forget, Ron Jacobs.

So when I was told that his Energen Pilipinas under-16 youth team swept the competition the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) in Banting City, Malaysia, recently, I was not a bit surprised. The Philippines routed its opponents by an average of 38 points as it downed host Malaysia (91-64), Indonesia (109-46), Laos (101-57) and Singapore (70-52).

I am sure that Olsen was emboldened by his first triumph as a basketball coach. It’s a time that his personal coaching philosophy will take shape and he will adopt bits and pieces from his previous mentors and perhaps, assert a few things of his own.

From what I have learned, Olsen also faces the same challenges that I have encountered as coach of the Nokia RP-U-16 and U-18 team. And these include having the whole team together from scrimmages regularly and getting permission from the schools when their teams are playing during the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines season.

I have no doubt that if Olsen’s team will be molded into one fighting unit by playing together for a long time, we can be assured of a good showing in October.

The reason I say this is that players should be accustomed to playing against tough competition. It is the only way for them to be able to size up the opponents and find ways to beat them despite being smaller in size. Players on any team should be able to play together so that they would know each other personally and would be able to know their tendencies.

Olsen already had the system in place and is hoping that the draw in the 2012 Fiba U-17 World Championship will favor the team. The event is scheduled from October18 to 28 in Nha Trang City, Vietnam.

Being a many-time national player, Olsen knows that the first hurdle is the draw. But even during tournaments, there is the challenge of instilling into the team of playing to its strengths, taking care of the ball in each and every possession, playing smart and taking advantage of opportunities. Of course, there is no substitute to hard work.

I do hope and pray that Olsen and his team surpass the Nokia U-16 team’s fourth-place finish in the Fiba-Asia U-16 Men’s tournament in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in 2009.

Kudos to the team made up of Arvin Tolentino, Gelo Vito, Rev Diputado, Henry Asilum, Hubert Cani, Radge Tongco, Daryl Pascual, Kyles Lao, Gideon Babilonia, Jay Javelosa, Louie Brill and Early Murphy, and to the rest of the coaching staff made up of Nash Racela, Eric Gonzales and Richie Ticzon.