Ford Arao

{{Short description|Filipino basketball player and coach (born 1984)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| image =

| image_size =

| name = Ford Arao

| number =

| position = Assistant coach

| league = UAAP

| team = Ateneo Blue Eagles

| nationality = Filipino

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|10|29}}

| birth_place =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 6

| weight_lbs = 210

| high_school = San Beda (Manila)

| college = Ateneo

| draft_year_pba = 2010

| draft_round_pba = 2

| draft_pick_pba = 14

| draft_team_pba = Meralco Bolts

| career_start = 2010

| career_end = 2016

| career_position = Center / power forward

| coach_start = 2014

| years1 = 2010

| team1 = Meralco Bolts

| years2 = 2016

| team2 = Byaheng SCTEX

| cyears1 = 2014–2022

| cteam1 = NLEX Road Warriors (assistant)

| cyears2 = 2016–present

| cteam2 = Ateneo (assistant)

| cyears3 = 2018–2019

| cteam3 = Philippines (assistant)

| cyears4 = 2024–present

| cteam4 = Ateneo JHS

| awards =

| highlights =

As assistant coach

3× UAAP men's champion (2018, 2019, 2022)
NCAA men's champion (2014)

As player

NCAA juniors' champion (2002)
NCAA juniors' Mythical Five (2002)

}}

Claiford A. Arao (born October 29, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He was the fourteenth overall draft pick by Meralco in the 2010 PBA draft. He played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles during his collegiate career, in which he now serves as an assistant coach.

Playing career

Arao played high school basketball in San Beda College High School. The San Beda Red Cubs won the 2002 NCAA juniors' basketball title with Arao as their starting center.{{Cite web |date=2012-07-06 |title=Two basketball programs that are worlds apart |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/two-basketball-programs-worlds-apart-043338880.html |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-SG}} Arao then played collegiate basketball in Ateneo de Manila University from 2003 to 2007. The Ateneo Blue Eagles reached the UAAP finals in 2003 and 2006, and fell short each time.

Arao was drafted by the Meralco Bolts in the 2010 PBA Draft. Arao played only one game in the Philippine Basketball Association.{{Cite web |last=INQUIRER.net |date=2010-08-29 |title=2010 PBA Rookie Draft Results |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/404/2010-pba-rookie-draft-results |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}} He played for three minutes, without registering anything from that lone game.

In 2016, Arao returned to playing competitive basketball as he signed with Byaheng SCTEX of the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League.{{cite news |last=Joble |first=Rey |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/sctex-joins-pcbl-as-chairmans-cup-opens-sunday-in-malolos |title=SCTEX joins PCBL as Chairman's Cup opens Sunday in Malolos |work=InterAksyon |date=March 6, 2016 |accessdate=March 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312012139/http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/sctex-joins-pcbl-as-chairmans-cup-opens-sunday-in-malolos |archivedate=March 12, 2016}}

Coaching career

During Boyet Fernandez's first coaching stint with San Beda, Arao was one of his assistant coaches.{{Cite web |title=PH youth coach Jamike Jarin lined up to be next San Beda coach after Boyet Fernandez |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-women/philippine-youth-coach-jamike-jarin-lined-up-to-be-the-next-san-beda-coach-ncaa-boyet-fernandez |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}

Arao was chosen as one of Yeng Guiao's deputies in the Philippine national team during the buildup for the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.{{Cite web |title=Young Arao grateful to be chosen under Guiao's wing in PH team: 'Sino ba naman ako?' |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/fiba/ford-arao-assistant-coach-yeng-guiao-philippine-team-nlex-a2437-20181024?ref=article_tag |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}

In 2024, he was appointed as head coach of the Ateneo High School basketball team.{{Cite web |last=Carmen |first=Lorenzo del |date=2024-06-24 |title=Ford Arao takes helm as Ateneo boys' basketball head coach |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/ford-arao-takes-helm-as-ateneo-boys-basketball-head-coach/305758 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Tiebreaker Times |language=en-US}}