Ato Agustin

Basketball career

Ato Agustin started his amateur career as a shooting guard for RFM-Swift Corporation in the Philippine Basketball League. He entered the PBA in 1989 with the San Miguel Beermen, where he played sparingly behind stars Samboy Lim and Elmer Reyes. The following year, after Reyes left for the expansion Pop-Cola team and Lim and Hector Calma dealt with frequent injuries, Agustin earned a regular spot in the Beermen’s backcourt rotation.

He was named Most Improved Player in 1991 and league MVP in 1992. As a starter and key player, he helped San Miguel win three more championships in the early 1990s, including All-Filipino titles in 1992 and 1994. His stint with the Beermen ended when he was traded to the Pop Cola Panthers in exchange for Nelson Asaytono.

In the 2000 expansion draft, coach Yeng Guiao selected Agustin for the Batang Red Bull Energizers. He contributed to the team’s 2001 Commissioner’s Cup victory, sinking two crucial free throws in Game 6 of the finals to clinch the title. He retired from the PBA after that season and later played semi-professional basketball as an import in Brunei. Agustin also suited up for the Philippine national team at the 1994 Asian Games.

Coaching career

After his playing days, Agustin became head coach of the San Sebastian Golden Stags in the NCAA in 2009, replacing Jorge Gallent and winning a championship that same year. In 2010, he took over as head coach of his former PBA team, the San Miguel Beermen. During the 2011 PBA Governors’ Cup, he led the team—then called the Petron Blaze Boosters—to a title, beating the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in seven games. He became the ninth coach in PBA history to win a championship in his first year as head coach.

On July 25, 2013, San Miguel Corporation named him interim coach of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for the 2013 PBA Governor’s Cup. On January 5, 2015, team manager Alfrancis Chua announced Agustin’s return as Ginebra head coach, replacing Jeffrey Cariaso. After a quarterfinal exit in the Commissioner’s Cup, Agustin was dismissed and replaced by assistant Frankie Lim. He then returned to the San Miguel Beermen as an assistant coach.