{{Short description|Filipino basketball player and coach}} {{Infobox basketball biography | image = Pocholo Villanueva.jpg | caption = Villanueva in 2008 | name = Pocholo Villanueva | number = | position = [[Head coach]] | league = [[Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League|MPBL]] | team = Batangas City Athletics | nationality = Filipino | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|11|24}} | birth_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lbs = 180 | high school = [[Colegio San Agustin Makati]] | college = [[De La Salle Green Archers basketball|De La Salle]] | draft_year_pba = 2008 | draft_round_pba = 2 | draft_pick_pba = 13 | draft_team_pba = [[Barako Bull Energy Boosters (2000–11)|Air21 Express]] | career_start = 2008 | career_end = 2011 | coach_start = 2011 | coach_end = | career_position = [[Shooting guard]] | years1 = 2008–2011 | team1 = [[Barako Bull Energy|Burger King Whoppers / Air21 Express]] | cyears1 = 2011–2014 | cteam1 = [[Air21 Express (2012–2014)|Air21 Express]] (assistant) | cyears2 = 2014–2018 | cteam2 = [[JRU Heavy Bombers basketball|JRU (men)]] (assistant) | cyears3 = 2016–2018 | cteam3 = [[GlobalPort Batang Pier]] (assistant) | cyears4 = 2016–present | cteam4 = [[De La Salle Green Archers|De La Salle (women)]] | cyears5 = 2018–2019 | cteam5 = [[Makati Skyscrapers|Makati Skyscrapers / Super Crunch]] | cyears6 = 2021 | cteam6 = [[Manila Stars]] | cyears7 = 2022–present | cteam7 = [[Batangas City Embassy Chill|Tanduay Rum Masters / Batangas City Embassy Chill / Athletics]] | cyears8 = 2022–2023 | cteam8 = [[Bay Area Dragons]] (assistant) | cyears9 = 2025-present | cteam9 = [[Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League|Batangas New Zealand Bluefire]] | highlights = '''As player:''' * 2× [[University Athletic Association of the Philippines|UAAP]] champion ([[UAAP Season 64|2001]], [[UAAP Season 70|2007]]) * [[University Athletic Association of the Philippines|UAAP]] Finals MVP (2007) '''As head coach:''' * [[Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League]] ([[2025 WMPBL season|2025]]) }}
'''Pocholo "Cholo" Iñigo Villanueva''' (born November 24, 1982) is a Filipino former professional [[basketball]] player. He currently serves as the head coach for the [[Batangas City Athletics]] and [[Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League|Batangas New Zealand Bluefire]]. He previously served as the assistant coach for the [[Bay Area Dragons]]. He was drafted with the thirteenth overall pick of the [[2008 PBA draft]] by the [[Barako Bull Energy Boosters (2000–11)|Air21 Express]]. From 2001 to 2007, he played for the [[De La Salle Green Archers]] in the UAAP where he won a championship in 2007 and was named co-Finals MVP with [[JVee Casio]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leongson |first=Randolph B. |date=August 2, 2020 |title=La Salle's 2007 'redeem team' the most special for Franz Pumaren |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/la-salle-s-2007-redeem-team-the-most-special-for-franz-pumaren-a2437-20200802 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}</ref>
==Professional career== Barangay Ginebra traded [[Paul Artadi]], [[Rafi Reavis]], and the rights to [[2009 PBA draft]] 8th pick overall [[Chris Timberlake]] for [[Enrico Villanueva]], [[Rich Alvarez]], [[Celino Cruz]], and [[Paolo Bugia]] of Purefoods. Burger King acted as the conduit team, trading Villanueva to Ginebra and acquiring the rights to 2009 Rookie draft eighteenth pick Orlando Daroya and future picks. However, he chose to retire and pursue a career in coaching.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/170320/Ateneo-FEU-finals-loom-as-Tamaraws-shadow-Eagles-on-top |title=Burger King re-signs swingman David, gives 3 others new contracts |date=August 20, 2009 |website=GMA News Online |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref>
==Coaching career== On 2011, Villanueva joined his former coach in La Salle, [[Franz Pumaren]] as the assistant coach in then newly formed PBA team, [[Shopinas.com Clickers]]. The team was later renamed as Air21 Express. He stayed as assistant coach and team manager until the team was bought by [[NLEX Road Warriors]] in July 2014.
In March 2014, he joined the coaching staff of [[JRU Heavy Bombers]] under the leadership of [[Vergel Meneses]]. He helped them get into the Final Four of the NCAA once again.
In 2018, Villanueva joined the [[Makati Skyscrapers]] (later the Makati Super Crunch) of the [[Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League]] (MPBL), leading Makati to a 21–4 record in the [[2018–19 MPBL season]], and up to a 20–4 record in [[2019–20 MPBL season|2019]] before resigning in December 2019, citing Makati's management "has a different direction" for the team.<ref>{{ cite news |last=del Carmen |first=Lorenzo |date=December 23, 2019 |title=Makati coach Cholo Villanueva on sudden resignation: 'Management believes in going another direction' |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/makati-coach-cholo-villanueva-on-sudden-resignation-management-believes-in-going-another-direction/174803 |work=Tiebreaker Times |accessdate=October 7, 2022 }}</ref>
In 2021, Villanueva returned to the MPBL to coach the [[Manila Stars]] for the [[2021 MPBL Invitational]].<ref>{{ cite news |date=November 24, 2021 |title=Cholo Villanueva takes over as Manila coach in MPBL |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/cholo-villanueva-takes-over-as-manila-coach-in-mpbl/225737 |work=Tiebreaker Times |accessdate=October 7, 2022 }}</ref>
After his stint in Manila, in February 2022, Villanueva was confirmed as the head coach for [[Batangas City Embassy Chill|Batangas City]] of the MPBL and [[Filbasket]] (where it competes as the Tanduay Rum Masters), bringing over the core of the old Makati team that he handled from 2018 to 2019.<ref>{{ cite news |last=Joble |first=Rey |date=February 16, 2022 |title=MPBL: Cholo Villanueva excited to take over as new Batangas coach |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/16/22/mpbl-cholo-villanueva-excited-as-new-batangas-coach |work=[[ABS-CBN News]] |access-date=October 7, 2022 }}</ref>
In 2022, Villanueva was named as assistant coach of [[Hong Kong]]–based team [[Bay Area Dragons]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cholo Villanueva tapped as Bay Area Dragons deputy coach |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/25/22/villanueva-tapped-as-bay-area-dragons-deputy-coach |access-date=September 21, 2022 |work=ABS-CBN News |date=August 25, 2022}}</ref>
===As program director=== In 2022, Villanueva became the program director of the [[La Salle Greenies]], the high school team of his college alma mater.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Terrado |first=Reuben |date=June 29, 2022 |title=LSGH eyeing more ex-Green Archers, says Cholo Villanueva |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/ncaa-juniors/lsgh-looking-at-bringing-more-ex-green-archers-to-squad-says-program-director-cholo-villanueva-a795-20220729 |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}</ref> He hired his former teammate [[Renren Ritualo]], to be its head coach.
==Personal life== Villanueva married his college sweetheart, former DLSU courtside reporter, Agnes Tapia in a ceremony at Santuario de San Antonio Parish on December 12, 2012. Reception followed at the [[Filoil Flying V Arena]], which was transformed from a basketball court to a formal red carpet event.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.asia-basket.com/player.asp?Cntry=PHI&PlayerID=141298 Player profile at asiabasket.com]
{{De La Salle Green Archers 2007-2008 UAAP Men's Senior Basketball Champions}} {{2008 PBA draft}} {{UAAP Men's Basketball Finals MVP Award}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Pocholo}} [[Category:1981 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Filipino men's basketball players]] [[Category:De La Salle Green Archers basketball players]] [[Category:Barako Bull Energy players]] [[Category:Filipino men's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Air21 Express coaches]] [[Category:Shooting guards]] [[Category:Barako Bull Energy draft picks]] [[Category:JRU Heavy Bombers basketball coaches]] [[Category:NorthPort Batang Pier coaches]] [[Category:21st-century Filipino sportsmen]] [[Category:MPBL coaches]]