Nicanor Fortich Jorge Jr. (November 27, 1941 – June 13, 2020) was a Filipino basketball coach who has led the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

men's national teams. He is also the founder of the Best Center, a sports training institution which has produced several national team and professional players.

Early life and education

Nicanor Fortich Jorge, Jr. was born on November 27, 1941, in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He studied at the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

where he took a BSE degree in physical education. He also played for the UP Fighting Maroons, with his performance helping him secure a tenure as coach of the collegiate team.

Coaching career

Jorge started his coaching career in the 1960s when he became head coach of the UP Fighting Maroons basketball team at age 21. In 1994, Jorge led the Maroons to a third place finish. Jorge has also served as a head coach for several

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 ...

teams. In the 1980 season, he coached the Galleon Shippers (which renamed itself as the CDCP Road Builders) until its disbandment before the 1982 season. For the 1983 season, Jorge coached the Manhattan Shirtmakers in the All-Filipino Conference. He returned to coaching the UP Fighting Maroons succeeding, Eric Altamirano and coached the team from 1997 to 1999. In 1997 he led the collegiate team to a Final Four finish.

International career

Jorge coached the national team which played at the

1978 FIBA World Championship The 1978 FIBA World Championship was the 8th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by the Philippines from October 1 to 14, 1978 in Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila an ...

and the

1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games () were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was de ...

. Jorge also led the Singapore national team at the 1983 Southeast Asian Games.

Sports administration

Jorge was Secretary General of the

Basketball Association of the Philippines The Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) was the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) recognized national governing body for basketball in the Philippines. It was recognized by the FIBA in 1936 until 2007 when the Samahang Ba ...

(BAP) in the 1980s, which was the governing body for basketball in the Philippines until its replacement by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP). He also played a role in the SBP's grassroots program.

Best Center

Nic Jorge is credited with founding the Best Center, a sports training center in 1978. The center has produced several national team and professional basketball players including, Jerry Codiñera,

Jun Limpot Zandro P. Limpot Jr. (born December 14, 1971), also known as Jun Limpot, is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. Playing career As a De La Salle Green Archer, Limpot led his team to two U ...

, Benjie Paras, Kiefer Ravena, and Chris Tiu.

Coaching record

Collegiate record

Death

Jorge died in his sleep on June 13, 2020, in

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...

Personal life

Jorge was married to Marilyn with whom he had three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorge, Nic 1942 births 2020 deaths Filipino men's basketball coaches Filipino sports executives and administrators People from Iloilo City Philippine Basketball Association coaches Philippines men's national basketball team coaches University of the Philippines Diliman alumni UP Fighting Maroons men's basketball players UP Fighting Maroons basketball coaches