By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Tagged to be the greatest basketball head coach Ateneo had after steering the Blue Eagles to five straight UAAP championships, Norman Black named his favorite Ateneo players including his top five all-time.
However, during his Hoop Coaches International Webinar talk organized by PBA team Blackwater Elite, Black talked about this young kid he used to marvel at, how amazing and skillful he was during his college years.
Black was talking about Ryan Buenafe, the one he put as Ateneo’s best small forward in his all-time starting five.
“There’s no question the most talented guy was Ryan Buenafe that I coached,” Black said during his Webinar talk.
Buenafe was one of the stars who clinched four out of the five straight titles during their era and was one of the most prolific scorers UAAP has ever seen.
A former eighth overall pick in the 2013 PBA draft, the former Blue Eagle had an unsuccessful run in the big league after having problems controlling his weight.
After the Alaska Aces drafted Buenafe, the team didn’t renew his contract including a body fat clause to address his weight issues.
Buenafe then was picked up by coach Black’s Meralco Bolts in 2014 but only stayed with the team until 2016.
“Ryan should be in the PBA right now. He should be a star if he could just control his weight,” Black emphasized.
Right now, Buenafe is offering his services in the PBA D-League and the MPBL and has not made a PBA comeback after his stint with the Bolts.
