MANILA, 18 January — When the master is down, naturally, the disciple — and only the most trusted and dependable disciple — takes over.

So Jong Uichico finally assumed the role of Philippine team head coach held previously by his acknowledged guru, Ron Jacobs, who remains in hospital in a comatose state.

Uichico’s ascension to the coaching job that carries with it the intense labor and pressure of winning the Asian Games basketball gold against such powerhouse teams as China and South Korea is highly expected.

He was originally Jacobs’ chief lieutenant when the latter laid down late last year the comprehensive program for the country’s ambitious campaign in this year’s Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

And for the record, he was the only assistant coach officially named by Jacobs — his team consultant on the San Miguel bench — before the ailing American strategist suffered a stroke last Dec. 23.

The 59-year-old Jacobs, who was named as national team coach last month by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), is largely credited for nurturing Uichico to becoming one of the finest coaches in the professional league today. The young ward’s success of winning at least five PBA titles for the Beermen in the last three seasons is a testament to that.

Earlier, PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino, citing Jacobs’s risky health condition, suspended tryouts for the national team and declared vacant the head coaching position.

But after extensive consultation with the PBA Board of Governors, Bernardino officially named Uichico as Jacobs’ replacement.

The PBA took into great consideration Uichico’s familiarity with the former’s program and winning formula, and, more importantly, the league’s strong belief that he is capable of handling the Pusan-bound quintet. "I am picking Mr. Jong Uichico as the replacement for Mr. Ron Jacobs. Officially, Jong Uichico is the appointed head coach for the Asian Games this year," said Bernardino moments after the annual rookie draft at the Glorietta in Makati.

Bernardino made the announcement after he personally asked team officials to submit a list of names whom they feel available and qualified for the tedious coaching job.

He emphasized that the choice of Uichico is the choice of the PBA, thus, the Asian Games participation is a PBA undertaking and not by a single PBA team.

"I would like to emphasize that the choice of Mr. Uichico is strictly the choice and undertaking of the PBA," he said while dispelling rumors that Uichico was chosen because of the intercession of the men who control his team, the San Miguel Corporation, that is.

"Jong is a San Miguel coach, but it has nothing to do with the reaching of the decision and no special commitment was ever given to the Cojuangcos," he clarified.

All basketball teams, Bernardino stressed, participated in sharing their talents and bankrolling the endeavors and programs of the national team so "it would be unfair to the other teams if we refer to Uichico as the San Miguel coach to the RP team."

"Jong now belongs to the PBA, and is fully supported by the PBA," Bernardino said. He urged the rest of the league, and the country, to rally around him.

According to Bernardino, Uichico has the option to include Jacobs, should he recover fully from the stroke, as coaching consultant.

He believes that besides Uichico being a protégé of Jacobs enabling him to continue with the program already put in place by the American mentor before suffering a stroke, no other coach in the league was willing to handle the reins of the national team.

Actually, Uichico was not the league’s first choice to succeed Jacobs. The job was initially offered to Shell’s Perry Ronquillo who declined the job. Other top PBA coaches showed little interest.

Interestingly, too, Uichico had earlier begged off from the job, asking the league to offer it first to the other coaches to prevent any controversy from brewing over his appointment.

But he said if no one was willing to coach the national team, then he would gladly take on the duty.

No one did. One by one, the coaches who were offered the job came out in the papers and voiced their hesitation. And the duty fell on the lap of Uichico.

So the hunched, unassuming 6-2 former national team player only has eight good months to prepare the national team and make it competitive for the Asiad slated from Sept. 24-Oct. 14 — and, practically, he is running against time.

He is now working overtime, trying to pick up from where the man he succeeded left off, in a determined bid to realize a coveted goal — that is to bring the Asian basketball supremacy back to the Philippines and end its 40-year title drought in the prestigious quadrennial meet.

"It’s always an honor to be a head coach of any national team. But the only thing I can promise is the team will do its best to bring back honor to the country," said the 39-year-old Uichico, who served as an assistant to coach Norman Black who handled the national squad in the Hiroshima edition of the games in 1994.

Uichico, however, expressed guarded optimism over the nationals’ chances of winning the gold, saying: "It always helps if you’ve coached or served as an assistant before. But since 1994, a lot of rules have been changed and a lot of the players from other countries have become better. So it’s never going to be an easy task.

Rightly so, Uichico knows the job he inherits would be formidable — a trip to Pusan where the country will bid for an Asiad gold medal it has not won over the last four decades.

"I just hope that we all go into this together. It doesn’t matter anymore if I’m the right coach or the wrong coach for the job. What matters is I am here, there’s a job to be done and I need all the support I can get."

For sure, Uichico would continue and follow to the letter the program calendared and battle plan mapped out by Jacobs, although he is inserting some of his own in the hopes of forming one highly competitive national team capable of beating the Chinese, who have won the Asian Games gold with boring consistency since 1986, and the South Koreans, always the traditional tough title contenders.

In naming Uichico, the league is also assured of no change in the calendar it had adopted for this season to give way to the country’s preparation for the Pusan Games.

Uichico has yet to name his assistant coaches, pending consultations with Ginebra coach Allan Caidic and Purefoods mentor Eric Altamirano, who both helped Jacobs hold the tryouts last month.

He is expected to sit down this week with Caidic and Altamirano to decide on how to best approach the team’s campaign.

The tryouts Jacobs initiated late last year at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Ateneo were suspended last week, although Uichico is expected to merely revive the selection process this week.

Meanwhile, Uichico has found a new ally in Alaska coach Tim Cone, who steered the 1998 Asian Games squad known as the Centennial team to a bronze medal finish.

The Alaska mentor offered his help to be a consultant in an unofficial capacity.

Uichico hopes he won’t be the last.

"I’m thankful for Tim’s offer, even if it is only on a consultation basis. His experience with the previous national team will be a big help," Uichico said.

Uichico is expected to name those who will be part of the pool of candidates, composed of 37 players before the tryouts were temporarily suspended last week, from which the two training teams will be culled this week. He made it clear only seven more players are needed to augment the 17 originally invited by Jacobs to the tryouts. Uichico promptly elevated the 17 to the candidates’ pool when he took over as interim national coach last Jan. 7.

But the players will not be divided into two teams just yet, not until a week or so of practice.

"We are in a hurry to draw up a list (of candidates). But we have to make sure everything is in order, that we are taking in those who really deserve to be with the training pool, and making sure we are not inserting those who don’t deserve to be included," Uichico pointed out.

Under Jacobs’ original plan, two teams made up of the candidates would see action in the season-opening Governors Cup starting on Feb. 10. The league has re-calendared its schedule of activities to accommodate the program of Jacobs.

The final 12-man line-up, plus the two alternates, would be drawn up after the tournament and fielded in the Commissioner’s Cup, the team’s final tune-up tournament before plunging into action in Pusan.

Jacobs has named 17 players to the candidates pool. These are Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle, Eric Menk, Asi Taulava, Don Camaso, Rudy Hatfield, Poch Juinio, Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino, Jeffrey Cariaso, Kenneth Duremdes, Don Camaso, Davonn Harp, Mick Pennisi, Andy Seigle, Noy Castillo and Chris Jackson.

Vying for the remaining slots in the pool are Johnny Abarrientos, Olsen Racela, Boyet Fernandez, Patrick Fran, Dondon Hontiveros, EJ Feihl, Romel Adducul, Rafi Reavies, Omanzie Rodriguez, Chris Calaguio, Chris Clay, Jeffrey Flowers, Mike Cortez, Renren Ritualo, Rob Johnson, Jimmy Alapag and Sunday Salvacion.

Uichico said he still has to decide where he would sit in the Governors Cup, where regular teams are allowed to hire as many as two imports with a height limit of 13 feet.

"Most probably, those who will be named assistants would handle the two teams that will play in the PBA. I’m just not sure if I will sit on the bench or if I will be at the outside looking in when the two teams play," he said.

So far, the coaching staff has no final composition yet. Uichico wants to talk to Purefoods mentor Eric Altamirano and Ginebra coach Allan Caidic, who have both helped Jacobs in the first wave of tryouts last year. Uichico, however, said he is keen on appointing Coca-Cola assistant coach Binky Favis as one of the team’s scouts.

The PBA last week decided to remove the bed-ridden Jacobs as coach of the national team after receiving a medical bulletin from the doctors saying that Jacobs, even if he recovers in time, wouldn’t be able to carry the stress and pressure brought about by coaching.

"The medical bulletin on Jacobs indicated that we deemed it best to discontinue the preparations for the Asian Games pending the appointment of a new coach,’’ said Bernardino, who was been given the power by the PBA Board of Governors to appoint the national team coach. "Though progressing by the day, the condition of coach Ron offers no definite timetable as to his return, hence, the suspension of his program.’’

Jacobs remains confined at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the St. Lukes Medical Center. Although showing positive signs of recovery, Jacobs is still in a comatose condition. Even in a best case scenario, doctors said, there was no way Jacobs could return to coaching within the year.

Bernardino was in a frantic mood trying to find a new coach for the national team after practically all the league’s coaches declined the job, saying it entails tremendous pressure. Those who frowned on taking over the helm of the country’s Asiad preparations included Ronquillo, Cone, Black, Red Bull’s Yeng Guiao, Coca-Cola’s Chot Reyes, and Federal Express’ Derick Pumaren.

Ronquillo openly declined to take on the job and chorused with Reyes that Uichico was the best and most logical choice to take over Jacobs.

He said with everything in place, it’s better that the PBA goes on with Jacobs’ program with Uichico continuing it.

Cone pointed out: "Ron Jacobs has put up a great program and I think Jong should be tapped to go on with it."

Caidic and Altamirano said they were not prepared technically at this point to call the shots for the national team.

Black was willing to help but said the job should go to a Filipino coach.

Pumaren, for his part, said: "No thanks. I’ve been away from international competitions for a very long time.’’

Guiao, the PBA press corps coach of the year, said he would think about it if the league asks him to. "But as of now I don’t want to even think about it,’’ he said.