Leandro "Leo" Isaac (born February 2, 1961) is a Filipino 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 started as one of the founding teams in the ...

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 Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

. He is chief operating officer of the basketball league Sinag Liga Asya.

College career

He played for the Mapua Cardinals in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

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 (P ...

Junel Baculi Edmundo "Junel" Baculi is a Filipino head basketball coach who formerly coached GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippine Basketball Association, PBA. In the PBL, he also coached the Licealiz Shampoo Hair Doctors, Hapee-PCU Dolphins and had many ...

, and

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

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 Food and Beverage, Inc. History La Tondeña was established in 1902 by Carlos T. Pal ...

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

. 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 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. Prior to the start of

1992 PBA season The 1992 PBA season was the 18th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Executive committee * Reynaldo G. Marquez (Commissioner) * Luis Lorenzo, Sr. (Chairman, representing Pepsi Hotshots) * Wilfred Steven Uytengsu (Vice Ch ...

, he was traded to Pepsi for

Tonichi Yturri Jose Antonio "Tonichi" Yturri (born January 5, 1963), is a retired Filipino professional basketball player and former collegiate coach. Career Playing career Yturri suited for De La Salle Green Archers, and played for the Northern Cement-P ...

, 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 to ...

and

Leo Austria Leovino "Leo" Austria (born March 14, 1958) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He previously coached the team from 2014 to ...

. 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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

. He stayed with the team until the

1993 season The General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its calendar advanced 24 hours to th ...

. 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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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 Phili ...

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. His chief lieutenants were Raymund Celis and

Ariel Vanguardia Ariel Vanguardia (born September 29, 1972) is a Filipino professional basketball coach who currently serves as the head coach for the Manila Batang Sampaloc of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Coaching career Assistant Vangua ...

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

. 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 Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...

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 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

In other media

* He was also a PBA commentator during the 2003 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 MPBL coaches