Leandro "Leo" Isaac (born February 2, 1961) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

former basketball player, commentator and former head coach of the

Blackwater Elite The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...

in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

College career

He played for the

Mapua Cardinals Mapua, Māpua, or Mapúa may refer to: *Mapuá River, a river in the Pará state of north-central Brazil *Māpua, New Zealand, a small town on the South Island of New Zealand *Mapúa University, a tertiary institute in Manila, Philippines *Tomás Ma ...

in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

from 1978 to 1981 and was voted MVP for the 1981 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. His notable teammates include

Joel Banal Joel Banal (born February 6, 1958) is a retired Filipino professional basketball player, and former head coach in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is the former commissioner of the now-defunct Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PC ...

Junel Baculi Edmundo "Junel" Baculi is a Filipino head basketball coach who formerly coached GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA. In the PBL, he also coached the Hapee-PCU Dolphins and had many titles. Prior to coaching, Baculi played varsity basketball for t ...

, and

Bong Ramos Geraldo "Bong" Ramos (born January 20, 1961) is a Filipino people, Filipino professional basketball coach of the Philippine Basketball Association. He had previously coached teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), ASEAN Basketball ...

PBA career

He played for

Ginebra San Miguel Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI, ) () (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.) is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company majority-owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC). History La Tondeña was established in 1902 by Carlos Palanca, S ...

from 1986 to 1991 and 1994 to 1995. In his rookie season in 1986, he helped Ginebra win its first ever championship during the

1986 PBA Open Conference The 1986 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Open Conference was the third and final conference of the 1986 PBA season The 1986 PBA season was the 12th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Board of governors Executive comm ...

. He earned his spot in coach Robert Jaworski's rotation as a reliable backcourt defender and his valuable contributions on defense helped the Gin Kings win two more championships in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

and

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. Prior to the start of

1992 PBA season The 1992 PBA season was the 18th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Season highlights *PBA Commissioner Rudy Salud stepped down from his post to become the campaign manager of Danding Cojuangco for the upcoming presidential el ...

, he was traded to Pepsi for

Tonichi Yturri Tonichi is a town in the Soyopa Municipality, in the eastern region of the Mexican state of Sonora near the Río Yaqui. The elevation is 180 meters. The population was 224 in 2005. The jesuits build a church In the 17th century. The area around ...

, and then to Shell Rimula-X in exchange for

Gido Babilonia Vigildo Quezon T. Babilonia (August 19, 1966 – January 14, 2007) was a Filipino basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. High School/College Career Babilonia played for the Letran Squires under Coach Fred Reyes from 1981 ...

and

Leo Austria Leovino R. Austria (born March 14, 1958), better known as Leo Austria, is a Filipino former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Playing career Aust ...

. He helped the Oilers win the 1992 First Conference championship against the

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...

. He stayed with the team until the

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

season. He retired from playing in the PBA after the 1995 season.

Coaching career

Philippine Basketball League

He once mentored teams such as Dr. J. Alcohol / Ana Water Dispenser, Boom Laundry Masters, Montaña Jewels, Blu All Purpose Detergent Kings, and Noosa Shoe Stars. In 1998, while coaching for Doctor J, he won his first ever championship as a coach at the expense of the heavily favored Tanduay team in the 1998–99 2nd PBL Centennial Cup.

Mapua Cardinals

Isaac took over as Mapua's head coach prior to the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

season. He led the Cardinals to back-to-back Final 4 slots wherein during both appearances they were at #4. His records with them were 6–6 and 9–5, respectively.

Barako Bull Energy Boosters

In 2009, Isaac was hired as head coach for the

Barako Bull Energy Boosters The Barako Bull Energy Boosters were a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation. They entered the league in 2000 after a successful stint in the semi-professional Philipp ...

in the PBA after

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

resigned and later moved to

Burger King Whoppers Burger or Burgers may refer to: Food and drink Foods * Hamburger, a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll. ** Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s) * Ground beef, minced b ...

. His chief lieutenants were Raymund Celis and

Ariel Vanguardia Ariel Vanguardia (born September 29, 1972) is a Filipino professional basketball coach. He is the interim head coach for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Coaching career Vanguardia previously coached the We ...

. He was then succeeded by

after coaching just one season.

Arellano University

He led them to several titles including the NCRAA championship in 2007. After a season coaching Red Bull, in 2010 he once again coached the Chiefs, this time, in the

for two seasons.

Blackwater Elite (PBA D-League)

In 2011, Isaac was appointed head coach of the

, one of the founding franchises in the newly formed

PBA Developmental League The PBA Developmental League, or PBA D-League, is the Philippine Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. History The PBA D-League was conceptualized after the collapse of the proposed merger between the Philip ...

. He helped the Elite win its first and only championship against the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, currently playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014–2015 season. The Roa ...

during the 2013 PBA D-League Foundation Cup and in the process, earned the distinction as the only team who beat the Road Warriors in the Finals.

Blackwater Elite (PBA)

In 2014, Isaac was retained as the team's head coach after team owner

Dioceldo Sy Dioceldo S. Sy (born March 6, 1958) is a Filipino businessman, sportsman, and team owner of Blackwater Elite in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is the sole proprietor of Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc. which he established in 1983. Early ...

elevated his franchise as an expansion team in the PBA. He is expected to inject the "never-say-die" experience that he got from his playing years with Ginebra. However, his team was winless in the Philippine Cup, with 0–11 win–loss record. In his first season with the Elite, he compiled a 6–27 win–loss record.

Coaching record

Collegiate record

Professional record

Trivia

* He was also a PBA commentator during the

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

season. * Outside of basketball, he is also an avid analyst of horse racing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, Leo 1961 births Filipino men's basketball coaches Filipino men's basketball players Living people Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Mapúa Cardinals basketball players Barako Bull Energy Boosters coaches Shell Turbo Chargers players Great Taste Coffee Makers draft picks Blackwater Bossing coaches Arellano Chiefs basketball coaches Mapúa Cardinals basketball coaches