GONE are the three of the school’s most accomplished coaches, but UST is moving on.
In fact new coaches Odjie Mamon (women’s volleyball, Chris Cantonjos (women’s basketball) and Gabby Remigio (tennis) have vowed to continue UST’s winning tradition.
Mamon, former coach of the national women’s team begun implementing what he called his “open secret” strategy—the “P>S>B (passing is greater than serving is greater than blocking) formula. It meant to prove the Lady Spikers’ basic volleyball skills and, eventually, improve their offensive plays.
“I want to bond and discipline the team,” Mamon said. “With the new system I will layout a new foundation, we have a vision and I want everything to be standardized.”
The volleybelles will rely on Season 72 Finals Most Valuable Player Rhea Dimaculangan, alongside new team captain Maika Ortiz and beach volleyball mainstay Judy Caballejo.
“A player cannot win volleyball by herself it’s a team effort,” Mamon said. “I want my team to be a balanced scoring team, just like the men’s team.”
‘Four-peat’ hero
Cantonjos, the UAAP basketball MVP in 1995, hopes to inject more intensity both in the Tigresses offense and defense.
He is also expected to bring his pro-ball experience having played for the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association.
“Intense akong maglaro, sana makuha nila iyon sa akin,” said Cantonjos the only member of the UST squad that won four straight basketball titles from 1993 to 1996.
According to Cantonjos, he wants to resolve internal conflicts surrounding the team.
“The previous coaching staff failed to tackle the team’s internal problem,” said Cantonjos in Filipino. “They did not realized it’s already getting worse,”
Cantonjos, who graduated from the College of Commerce and Business of Administration in 1998, would push the team to play aggressively to reclaim the championship crown which has been elusive for four years.
Thomasian loyalty
Remigio, former Tiger Tennister, said he decided to coach his old squad out of loyalty and a deep sense of duty.
“How can you say no to UST? It gave me a scholarship and five playing years, said Remigio, who graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Letters in 2002. He also coached the University of the Philippines (UP) women’s tennis team from 2008 to 2010.
Remigio hopes to develop the team’s stamina in preparation for a tough UAAP season.
He will implement a “periodization” program, which includes three months of road work and conditioning to develop body endurance.
“It is important to implement rules, we have to be strict,” he said.
Remigio said that coaching defending chamion UST would be tough since its erstwhile ace player Kim Saraza decided to play for NU this coming season.
“Kim is a big loss to the team but we will still try to compete even without him, maybe look for other players to step up,” he said.
With the loss of Saraza, the Tennisters will bank on new main man Ralph Kevin Barte, rookies Francis Patiño, Randy Delavin and Jake Basilad to lead UST to back-to-back titles.
“(Barte cannot do it alone, we have to work together to retain the championship,” said Remigio. CHENNY V. RAMOS
you mean, P>S>B ?? 🙂