Rodney Santos

Rodney Santos
San Sebastian Stags
TitleHead coach
LeagueNCAA Philippines
Personal information
Born (1973-05-30) May 30, 1973 (age 53)
Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines
Listed height
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight
175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolSan Sebastian (Manila)
CollegeSan Sebastian
PBA draft1996: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Drafted byPurefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs
Playing career
1996–2009
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Coaching career
2013–present
Career history
Playing
1996Purefoods TJ Hotdogs
1997–2002Alaska Milkmen
2003Purefoods TJ Hotdogs
2004–2008Barangay Ginebra Kings
2008–2009Coca-Cola Tigers
Coaching
2013–2014San Sebastian (assistant)
2015ATC Livermarin
2015San Sebastian
2016–2022UP (assistant)
2021Rizal Golden Coolers
2022UST (assistant)
2025Mindoro Tamaraws
2026San Sebastian (assistant)
2026–presentSan Sebastian
Career highlights
as player:

as assistant coach:

Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Philippines
SEA Games
Gold medal – first place1993 SingaporeTeam
Gold medal – first place1995 Chiang MaiTeam

John Rodney Santos (born May 30, 1973) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who is the current head coach of the San Sebastian Stags of the NCAA PH. 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.

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.

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, 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

Legend
  GP Games played  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Season-by-season averages

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1996 Purefoods 4915.8.439.158.7201.21.2.8.26.8
1997 Alaska 3410.4.452.000.6251.0.7.2.23.9
1998 Alaska 6522.7.464.000.7652.41.5.7.37.2
1999 Alaska 5622.0.527.000.6632.11.7.8.38.2
2000 Alaska 4925.5.507.250.6702.41.81.0.211.1
2001 Alaska 4528.8.429.250.7822.62.1.9.28.5
2002 Alaska 5919.4.408.356.7232.11.3.7.15.7
2003 Purefoods 3622.0.374.293.6902.11.6.9.27.6
2004–05 Barangay Ginebra 7831.0.397.279.7762.72.81.1.39.9
2005–06 Barangay Ginebra 3225.2.349.282.6992.31.8.9.17.8
2006–07 Barangay Ginebra 1913.1.383.353.667.9.7.5.04.4
2007–08 Barangay Ginebra 27.5.429.500—1.0.5.0.03.5
2008–09 Coca-Cola 127.8.303.1671.000.8.4.0.02.4
Career 53622.2.434.283.7212.11.7.8.27.6

Coaching career

San Sebastian

Santos served as part of San Sebastian's coaching staff. 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. The Stags finished the season in 7th place, off the playoff positions. Santos was replaced by Edgar Macaraya in 2016.

Assistant coach stints

Santos then became a part of Bo Perasol's coaching staff at UP. In 2022, Santos joined former Ginebra teammate Bal David at UST. UST finished last, losing 13 consecutive games after winning its season opener; David resigned, Santos then manned practices until Pido Jarencio was appointed as new coach.

Back at San Sebastian

In 2026, Santos returned to San Sebastian, after the departure of erstwhile coach Tony Tan. He coached the Stags to a winless campaign in the 2026 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup in preparation for NCAA Season 102.

Coaching record

Season Team Elimination round Playoffs
Finish GP W L PCT PG W L PCT Results
2015 SSC-R 7th 18 6 12 .333 — — — — Eliminated
Totals 18 6 12 .333 — — — — 0 championships

References

  1. ↑ "Sinag Liga Asya Lakas Kwarenta new league in town". Business Mirror. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Terrado, Reuben. "Caretaker Rodney Santos expects to be officially named San Sebastian coach soon". www.spin.ph. SPIN.ph. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Navarro, June (24 July 2006). "Ginebra sticks with vets". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Rodney Santos Player Profile - PBA-Online.net". PBA-Online.net. Archived from the original on 2013-09-16.
  5. ↑ Terrado, Reuben. "Stags great Santos now part of Robinson's staff". www.spin.ph. SPIN.ph. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Falcon, Angelo. "Now a coach, Rodney Santos wants players to 'take it hard to the basket'". www.rivals.ph. RIVALS.ph. Archived from the original on March 14, 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Songalia, Ryan (2015-10-09). "JRU slays San Sebastian to clinch Final Four berth". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  8. ↑ "Egay Macaraya is new San Sebastian coach, vows to bring back Stags' glory days". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  9. ↑ "Bo Perasol brings back ex-UP coach Ricky Dandan, adds Rodney Santos to Maroons coaching staff". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  10. ↑ "Lone bright spot Nic Cabañero preaches patience in UST rebuild". ESPN.com. 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  11. ↑ Agcaoili, Lance (2023-01-26). "Bal David resigns as UST head coach after just one season". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  12. ↑ Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (2023-02-03). "Pido Jarencio returns as UST coach". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  13. ↑ "Rodney Santos officially takes over as San Sebastian Stags coach". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2026-09-22.