SPORTS officials have tapped two former national team standouts to call the shots for the troubled table tennis teams, a month after they were deactivated due to a conflict between players and their head coach.
Former Tiger Paddler Lorinda Wadjad and San Beda College alumnus Joseph Cruz will now coach the women’s and men’s squads, respectively, in the coming UAAP season.
“We were looking for a former player and coach Wadjad was actually the one recommended by most of the people I talked to,” Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) director Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P. said.
Wadjad then suggested Cruz, her former teammate in the Philippine team, to UST officials, De Sagon said.
IPEA opted not to renew the contract of erstwhile head coach Henberd Ortalla and assistant Jackson Que. Ortalla and his players traded charges before the Office of the Rector. Ortalla was accused of having an affair with one his players, on top of “indiscriminate punishment” and “favoritism.” In retaliation, he accused his wards of violating UST policies on honesty, good grooming, and courtesy. He also alleged that Que was engaged in “ghost” or “overpriced” purchases of equipment.
Besides the two coaches, players Julius Capangpangan and Rachel Anne Mendoza will no longer be part of the team this year. Capangpangan failed in the try-outs, while Mendoza opted to leave for “personal reasons.”
A two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player, Wadjad said she would focus on developing the Lady Paddlers’ “mental strength.”
“My target is to develop the mental strength of the players by improving their decision-making, techniques, and strategies. That was the one missing from Henberd’s coaching. He’s more focused on developing the players physically,” she said.
Cruz said he would introduce to the men’s team a physical conditioning program he went through recently with the Philippine team in China.
“Of course, I want them to be champions again, but it still depends on how determined they will be,” he said.
The Tiger Paddlers are seeking a third straight championship, while their female counterparts aim to improve on their fourth-place finish last season. Carla Patricia S. Perez and Jose Antonio R. Nisay
