Another former basketball player has been added to the Philippine Sports Commission board.
The Presidential Communication Office on Thursday formally announced the appointment of Matthew “Fritz” Gaston as PSC commissioner.
Gaston, 54, is coming into the PSC with loaded credentials – both on and off the court.
As a basketball player, the former Ateneo de Manila University standout played seven seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association and won titles with U/Tex in 1980 and Crispa in 1984.
He also steered the Blue Eagles to its first University Athletic Association of the Philippines title in 1988 with Olsen Racela, Jun Reyes, Jett Nieto and Danny Francisco as key players.
Gaston served as assistant coach of Mobiline in 1997 and head coach of the national women’s team in 2006, leading it to a bronze medal in the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2007.
Off the court, he also made an impact.
He served as commissioner of the Games and Amusement Board as well as the National Association of School, Colleges and Universities.
During the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, he was assigned to helm the Clark cluster and successfully supervised the staging of key sports like aquatics, athletics and archery.
His daughters are also into competitive sports. Therese played in the defunct Philippine Superliga while Pauline is still competing for Chery Tiggo in the Premier Volleyball League.
Daily Tribune tried, but Gaston couldn’t be reached for comment.
With Gaston’s appointment, the five-man PSC board of commissioners is finally complete and his expertise on the grassroots and handling of elite athletes will definitely be a big boost to the government sports agency.
First to get appointed was bowling legend Olivia “Bong” Coo followed by Cebu-based dancesport executive Edward Hayco and former fencing star Walter Torres as commissioners.
Then, former De La Salle University basketball star Richard “Dickie” Bachmann was tapped to become the new PSC chairperson, replacing former PBA commissioner Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala after only four months in office.
In a previous conversation with Daily Tribune, Bachmann cited a pressing need for a fourth commissioner.
“With the SEA Games drawing near, we really need the help of another commissioner,” Bachmann said in a casual meeting with sportswriters.
“A lot of requests from various NSAs (national sports associations) are on our tables and we need an extra hand to speed up the approval. I hope and pray that another commissioner will be appointed in the coming weeks.”