Fritz Gaston


Matthew "Fritz" Gaston is a Filipino former basketball player and coach.

Career

Playing career

College

The Ateneo [Blue Eagles men's basketball|basketball team] of the Ateneo de Manila University had Gaston as a player. He was part of the Ateneo squad which won two consecutive titles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1975 and 1976. He was part of the last NCAA Ateneo squad before the university left the collegiate league in 1978 to transfer to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Club

Gaston also played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1979 to 1986. He played for multiple teams namely as the U/Tex Wranglers, San Miguel Beermen, Crispa Redmanizers, Manila Beer Brewmasters and the Great Taste Coffee Makers. With U/Tex he clinched the 1980 PBA All-Filipino Conference title.

National team

He was also a player for the Philippine youth national team in 1977.

Coaching career

Gaston became coach of his alma mater's basketball team. He led the Ateneo Blue Eagles to a UAAP title in Season 51 [men's basketball">UAAP Season 51 men's basketball tournament">Season 51 [men's basketball tournament|Season 51].
He served as an assistant coach under Norman Black for the Mobiline Cellulars for the 1997 PBA All-Filipino Cup and Commissioner's Cup.
In 2003, Gaston became the head coach of the Philippines women's national basketball team. He guided the team to a bronze medal finish at the Basketball at the 2007 [Southeast Asian Games|2007 Southeast Asian Games] in Thailand and a silver medal finish at the 2007 SEABA Championship for Women.

Sports administration

Gaston was commissioner for the Games and Amusement Board, a government body which deals with professional sports in the Philippines, from 2011 to 2017. He would be later appointed as a commissioner for the Philippine Sports Commission on March 24, 2023 by President Bongbong Marcos.

Personal life

Gaston has Silay, Negros Occidental as his hometown.
Gaston is married to Aurora Mandanas Gaston, a former beauty pageant contestant who won the 1984 Miss Asia Pacific.
His daughter, Pauline is a professional volleyball player who has played in the Filipino Premier Volleyball League. Therese, another daughter is a former collegiate volleyball player and a beauty pageant queen like her mother.