Rodney Santos

{{Infobox basketball biography

| image =

| image_size =

| name = Rodney Santos

| number =

| position = Head coach

| league = Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL)

| team = Mindoro Tamaraws

| nationality = Filipino

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|5|30}}

| birth_place = Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 175

| high school = San Sebastian (Manila)

| college = San Sebastian

| draft_year_pba = 1996

| draft_round_pba = 1

| draft_pick_pba = 2

| draft_team_pba = Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs

| career_start = 1996

| career_end = 2009

| career_position = Shooting guard / small forward

| coach_start = 2015

| years1 = 1996

| team1 = Purefoods TJ Hotdogs

| years2 = 1997–2002

| team2 = Alaska Milkmen

| years3 = 2003

| team3 = Purefoods TJ Hotdogs

| years4 = 2004–2008

| team4 = Barangay Ginebra Kings

| years5 = 2008–2009

| team5 = Coca-Cola Tigers

| cyears1 = 2013–2014

| cteam1 = San Sebastian (assistant)

| cyears2 = 2015

| cteam2 = ATC Livermarin

| cyears3 = 2015

| cteam3 = San Sebastian

| cyears4 = 2016–2022

| cteam4 = UP (assistant)

| cyears5 = 2022

| cteam5 = UST (assistant)

| cyears6 = 2025–present

| cteam6 = Mindoro Tamaraws

| highlights = * 7× PBA champion (1997 Governors', 1998 All-Filipino, 1998 Commissioner's, 2000 All-Filipino, 2004 Fiesta, 2004-05 Philippine, 2006-07 Philippine, 2008 Fiesta)

2× PBA All Star (1996, 2000)
2× PBA Mr. Quality Minutes ({{pbay|1998}}–{{pbay|1999}})
PBA Buzzerbeater Event Co-Champion ({{pbay|1999}})

}}

John Rodney Santos (born May 30, 1973) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who is the current coach of the Mindoro Tamaraws of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He is also known as The Slasher for his slashing ability going to the basket.

He currently serves as commissioner of the basketball league Sinag Liga Asya.{{cite news |url=https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/10/24/sinag-liga-asya-lakas-kwarenta-new-league-in-town/ |title=Sinag Liga Asya Lakas Kwarenta new league in town |date=24 October 2023 |website=Business Mirror |access-date=12 May 2024}}

Collegiate career

Santos played for the San Sebastian high school and college teams from 1991 to 1995, winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1994.{{cite web|last1=Terrado|first1=Reuben|title=Caretaker Rodney Santos expects to be officially named San Sebastian coach soon|url=http://www.spin.ph/basketball/news/rodney-santos-head-coach-san-sebastian-sscr-ncaa-basketball|website=www.spin.ph|publisher=SPIN.ph|access-date=26 June 2015}}

Professional career

After a storied college career at San Sebastian, Santos was drafted second overall by Purefoods in the 1996 draft. Then he was traded to Alaska for Cris Bolado and Bryant Punzalan in 1997 and became one of Tim Cone's reliable contributors off the bench. He was re-acquired by Purefoods in 2003 as a free agent. After his stint with the TJ Hotdogs, he was then traded to Ginebra,{{cite news|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20060724-11413/Ginebra_sticks_with_vets|title=Ginebra sticks with vets|last=Navarro|first=June|date=24 July 2006|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|access-date=27 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008115930/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20060724-11413/Ginebra_sticks_with_vets|archive-date=8 October 2012}} and was a vital cog in coach Siot Tanquincen's rotation. His last stop was with the Coca-Cola Tigers before nagging injuries forced him into retirement.

PBA career statistics

{{Cite web |title=Rodney Santos Player Profile - PBA-Online.net |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916115154/http://www.pba-online.net/profile/Rodney-Santos/116// |website=PBA-Online.net}}

=Season-by-season averages=

| align=left | {{pbay|1996}}

| align=left | Purefoods

| 49 || 15.8 || .439 || .158 || .720 || 1.2 || 1.2 || .8 || .2 || 6.8

| align=left | {{pbay|1997}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 34 || 10.4 || .452 || .000 || .625 || 1.0 || .7 || .2 || .2 || 3.9

| align=left | {{pbay|1998}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 65 || 22.7 || .464 || .000 || .765 || 2.4 || 1.5 || .7 || .3 || 7.2

| align=left | {{pbay|1999}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 56 || 22.0 || .527 || .000 || .663 || 2.1 || 1.7 || .8 || .3 || 8.2

| align=left | {{pbay|2000}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 49 || 25.5 || .507 || .250 || .670 || 2.4 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 11.1

| align=left | {{pbay|2001}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 45 || 28.8 || .429 || .250 || .782 || 2.6 || 2.1 || .9 || .2 || 8.5

| align=left | {{pbay|2002}}

| align=left | Alaska

| 59 || 19.4 || .408 || .356 || .723 || 2.1 || 1.3 || .7 || .1 || 5.7

| align=left | {{pbay|2003}}

| align=left | Purefoods

| 36 || 22.0 || .374 || .293 || .690 || 2.1 || 1.6 || .9 || .2 || 7.6

| align=left | {{pbay|2004}}

| align=left | Barangay Ginebra

| 78 || 31.0 || .397 || .279 || .776 || 2.7 || 2.8 || 1.1 || .3 || 9.9

| align=left | {{pbay|2005}}

| align=left | Barangay Ginebra

| 32 || 25.2 || .349 || .282 || .699 || 2.3 || 1.8 || .9 || .1 || 7.8

| align=left | {{pbay|2006}}

| align=left | Barangay Ginebra

| 19 || 13.1 || .383 || .353 || .667 || .9 || .7 || .5 || .0 || 4.4

| align=left | {{pbay|2007}}

| align=left | Barangay Ginebra

| 2 || 7.5 || .429 || .500 || — || 1.0 || .5 || .0 || .0 || 3.5

| align=left | {{pbay|2008}}

| align=left | Coca-Cola

| 12 || 7.8 || .303 || .167 || 1.000 || .8 || .4 || .0 || .0 || 2.4

|-class=sortbottom

| align="center" colspan="2" | Career

| 536 || 22.2 || .434 || .283 || .721 || 2.1 || 1.7 || .8 || .2 || 7.6

Coaching career

Santos served as part of San Sebastian's coaching staff.{{cite web|last1=Terrado|first1=Reuben|title=Stags great Santos now part of Robinson's staff|url=http://www.spin.ph/basketball/news/stags-great-santos-now-part-of-robinsons-staff|website=www.spin.ph|publisher=SPIN.ph|access-date=20 December 2014}} He entered the Stags coaching staff after coach Topex Robinson returned to the team for a second spell as coach in 2013. In 2015, he was officially named head coach of the Stags, replacing Robinson. He also coached the PBA D-League team, ATC Livermarin.{{cite web|last1=Falcon|first1=Angelo|title=Now a coach, Rodney Santos wants players to 'take it hard to the basket'|url=http://rivals.ph/basketball/pba-d-league/2015/03/13/28170/rodney-santos-d-league-take-it-hard-to-the-basket|website=www.rivals.ph|publisher=RIVALS.ph|access-date=26 June 2015}} The Stags finished the season in 7th place, off the playoff positions.{{Cite web |last=Songalia |first=Ryan |date=2015-10-09 |title=JRU slays San Sebastian to clinch Final Four berth |url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/ncaa/108673-jru-slays-san-sebastian/ |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=RAPPLER |language=en-US}} Santos was replaced by Edgar Macaraya in 2016.{{Cite web |title=Egay Macaraya is new San Sebastian coach, vows to bring back Stags' glory days |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-women/egay-macaraya-san-sebastian-stags-coach |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}} Santos then became a part of Bo Perasol's coaching staff at UP.{{Cite web |title=Bo Perasol brings back ex-UP coach Ricky Dandan, adds Rodney Santos to Maroons coaching staff |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/ricky-dandan-rodney-santos-up-maroons-bo-perasol-uaap?ref=article_tag |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}} In 2022, Santos joined former Ginebra teammate Bal David at UST.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-02 |title=Lone bright spot Nic Cabañero preaches patience in UST rebuild |url=https://www.espn.ph/basketball/colleges/story/_/id/35159183/lone-bright-spot-nic-cabanero-preaches-patience-ust-rebuild |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} UST finished last, losing 13 consecutive games after winning its season opener; David resigned, Santos then manned practices{{Cite web |last=Agcaoili |first=Lance |date=2023-01-26 |title=Bal David resigns as UST head coach after just one season |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/494755/bal-david-resigns-as-ust-head-coach-after-just-one-season |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}} until Pido Jarencio was appointed as new coach.{{Cite web |last=Saldajeno |first=Ivan Stewart |date=2023-02-03 |title=Pido Jarencio returns as UST coach |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194374 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Philippine News Agency |language=en}}

Coaching record

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! rowspan="2" \|Team ! colspan="5" \|Elimination round ! ! colspan="4" \|Playoffs
Finish !GP !W !L !PCT !PG !W !L !PCT !Results
2015 \|SSC-R \|7th \|18 \|6 \|12 \|.333 \|— \|— \|— \|— \|Eliminated
colspan="3" \|Totals !18 !6 !12 !.333 !— !— !— !— !0 championships

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" |Season

! rowspan="2" |Team

! colspan="5" |Elimination round

! colspan="4" |Playoffs

Finish

!GP

!PCT

!PG

!PCT

!Results

2015