GABE Norwood is a busy man these days both on and off the court.

Aside from playing for Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup, Norwood has also joined the coaching staff of LA Tenorio at Gilas Pilipinas Youth which is scheduled to compete in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers starting this weekend.

And perhaps unknown to many, Norwood has also crossed into the corporate side of basketball recently, being a part of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ Constitutional Review Committee.

During the recent National Congress, the SBP passed amendments to its by-laws, which includes a Player Representative to be part of the board come the October elections of the federation, and Norwood was part of the people behind it.

“Erika Dy (SBP executive director) gave me the opportunity to kind of get some insights in terms of the legislation side from a players’ perspective,” Norwood told SPIN.ph. “I just tried to be as open as much as I could.”

“I always want to be around the game in any capacity and try to get back as much as I can. So this was one situation where it happened. I don’t know if it will happen or how often the commission will be put together. But I’m excited to be part of it.”

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

The 40-year-old said he learned a lot from being part of that process, as he was able to see that side of basketball that he has now entered at a time where his playing career is in its later years.

“I actually learned a lot in terms of the structure and how things work, in terms of organizing a whole basketball federation basically. It was a cool experience and I’m looking forward to everything passing and going into the right direction.”

“Like I said, I was learning a lot. I don’t have a law degree, a background like many of the people that were in the room. I want to give as much insight as I could to help make great decisions for basketball moving forward,” said Norwood.

Aside from being part of the legislative side of the sport, Norwood is also set to be busier in the coming days with the upcoming SEABA Qualifiers of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth, the first under their tutelage.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao has allowed Norwood to be part of Gilas Youth in practice and during the tournament itself, but will be required to play for the Elasto Painters if there is a conflict in the schedule.

Based on the schedules of both the SEABA Qualifiers and the PBA, Norwood will only miss one game for the Batang Gilas with the Elasto Painters playing on May 28 against Phoenix.

PHOTO: Milcu Got Skills

“The change of schedule actually helped out. Initially, I thought I was going to miss a couple of the Batang Gilas games. But it looks like I would have to miss one, according to the schedule right now,” said Norwood.

“Coach Yeng is very open. Once I got offered the role with coach LA, he was very supportive,” he added.

As of now, Norwood said he is still trying to figure out how he can be present in as many days as possible with Gilas Pilipinas Youth while being part of Rain or Shine.

“We will try to figure it out. I’d be as present as I can in both venues. I’ll probably put some miles on the car for sure,” said Norwood with a smile.

Another part of the Gilas Youth’s agenda is determining the Final 12. As of now, the pool is at 18 and will still be pruned down, a process that Norwood said would be quite difficult.

“They are making it hard for us, making it hard for the coaching staff to pick the Final 12,” said Norwood. “Everybody is coming in working as hard as they can. They have their school obligations, finals, the end of the school year, they are focused on that.

"They also have their school teams and outside leagues and things like that. We really appreciate the sacrifice they are making at an early age at 16. Hopefully, we can pay it back to them by putting them in a position to win,” said Norwood.

While attending Gilas Youth practice over the last few weeks as part of the build-up for the SEABA qualifiers, Norwood was handed a a larger role with the Elasto Painters, starting for the first five games of the conference.

The former Gilas player showed that he can still deliver on the court, churning in respectable numbers in his starts. Norwood even played 37 minutes and 46 seconds in their 128-116 win over Meralco last April 27 where he had 12 points and five rebounds.

In his five ROS starts, Norwood averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. Serving as a comparison, Norwood only started twice out of 14 games in the last Commissioner’s Cup and averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10 minutes of action.

Norwood played down his performance during his starts, saying that he was only helping out the team in the wake of injuries to Caelan Tiongson, Keith Datu, and Beau Belga.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

“I think it was just necessity. We had some injuries. We had Caelan out, we had Beau out, Keith was out for a little bit. We just tried to hold down the fort. That was coach’s battlecry for us. Just keep it close, keep the record as close as possible until we get healthy. And we are doing a great job right now,” said Norwood.

But at the same time, Norwood, even with a lot on his plate, still feels he has a lot to contribute to Rain or Shine even now that he is on his 17th year with the only team he had played for in the PBA.

“I tried my best. I just want to contribute. I want to be around and help as much as I can, especially still on the court. I think I still have more to give. It’s a blessing to be able to contribute,” said the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 draft.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

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