PHILIPPINES Burlington-Bestank basketball team coach Johny Tam emerged as one of the biggest winners in the Zheng Chenggong Cup Internationali Invitational men’s basketball tournament held in Nanan, Fujian, China recently.

That’s because Tam drew raves among participants from all eight countries which saw action in the week-long competition held in honor of Nanan’s national hero.

In fact, Tam received an offer to handle the Singapore Tong Whye Physical Association team and inquiries for his availability in the future from other teams.

“I talked to the (Singapore) representatives for the possibiility to join the team as coach. Maganda naman yun offer, lalo na mahal natin talaga ang basketball,” said Tam in an interview with People’s Tonight recently.

“Pinag-iisipan ko talaga, although right now, madami pa tayong commitments dito sa atin, lalo na sa mga kababayan ko sa Paete,” added Tam, who steered the Philippines Burlington-Bestank team to a respectable 3-2 win-loss record in the competition organized by the Nanan Overseas Friendship Association in cooperation with the Nanan Municipal People’s Government and Fujian Basketball Association.

A former coach of the Laguna Lakers in the MBA and the FedEx Express in the PBA, Tam is best remembered for leading the country to back-to-back championships in the Zheng Chenggong Cup in 1999 and 2003.

“Actually, yung fifth-place finish natin sa Nanan, medyo bitin. Siyempre, lahat tayo gustong mai-uwi yung championship, like what we did in 1993 (with the Laguna Lakers) and 2003 (with FedEx-Burlington). But I’ll take it.

Pinag- hirapan din nating lahat ito, lalo na ng mga players,” explained Tam when asked for his assessment of the team’s performance.

“Yung host team Nanan, yun Malaysia, yun Taiwan, yun Macau, lahat malalakas. Pati mga imports nila. Nakapag-handa naman tayo, pero ganyan talaga sa basketball,” added Tam, who was accompanied by Philippine chef de mission Ret. PNP Gen. Noel Estanislao, assistant coach Charlie Bustos and team coordinators Glen Kho and Edmundo Ang.

Host Nanan Novartis brought down Malaysia, 71-63, to capture the championship for the second time in the last three editions.

Former champion Taiwan Yulong crushed Macau, represented by Nanan Youth Federation, 82-65, to clinch third place.

Singapore-Tong Whye Physical Association humbled Maldives, 58-49, for seventh place.

The Filipinos won over Singapore, Maldives and Indonesia, but lost to Macau and Taipei.