Who is Juno Sauler, Gilas Pilipinas Youth’s new head coach?

MANILA, Philippines – He comes in with a stacked résumé that most people don’t know about.

Juno Sauler, the new head coach of Gilas Pilipinas Youth succeeding LA Tenorio, already owns a quietly decorated career when the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) appointed him on Saturday, January 10. 

This comes as the national team prepares for the SEABA Under-18 Championship this July, where the top two finishers will earn spots in the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup. 

The 52-year-old Sauler currently serves as Tenorio’s assistant with the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA while also working with coach Pido Jarencio in the UST Growling Tigers’ UAAP men’s basketball campaign.

“Coach Juno brings a wealth of experience and nationwide connections that will be critical in building the strongest team possible,” SBP president Ricky Vargas said in a statement. 

That wealth of experience was forged over a 30-year coaching journey that has taken him through every level of the game. 

Play Video

Champion at every level

Sauler has won at every level with his alma mater La Salle. From 1999 to 2001, he steered the Lady Archers to multiple UAAP women’s titles while also coaching the La Salle Zobel Junior Archers to three straight top-three finishes. 

He later joined the men’s program as an assistant in 2011, before taking over as head coach in 2013 and delivering the Green Archers the UAAP Season 76 championship in only his first season at the helm. 

Sauler had also won championships as an assistant coach in the PBA, securing four during his 13-year stint with Barangay Ginebra and one with Magnolia under then-head coach Chito Victolero in 2018. 

Most recently, Sauler played a key role in UST’s revival. Since joining the Tigers as an assistant coach in 2024, he has helped steer the program to back-to-back Final Four appearances after a five-year playoff drought.

Advocating for youth sports

Beyond coaching at the collegiate and pro levels, Sauler has also pushed for youth basketball reforms, most notably calling for a ban on zone defenses to accelerate player development.

In 2023, Sauler put his stance on record, calling for the discouragement — if not an outright ban — of zone defenses in youth basketball, arguing that they breed bad habits and stunt player development by shielding athletes from learning man-to-man fundamentals.

According to Sauler, basketball powerhouses such as Australia, Spain, Lithuania, and Serbia all have banned zone defenses in age groups under 15 years old. 

His initiative has since sparked a change in various youth leagues in the Philippines, with the Batang PBA, the professional league’s youth-level counterpart, embracing his no-zone principles, alongside other leagues. – Rappler.com