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MANILA, Philippines – With past events and reports indicating Pido Jarencio’s time as GlobalPort Batang Pier’s head coach has come to an end, chatter has increased that he will return to his old job: coaching the UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
A source in UST has told Rappler that Jarencio’s possible return has been a bigger topic of discussion as of late.
“What I’ve been hearing is like, since he’s not in GlobalPort anymore, people were saying – especially school officials were saying – that he’s coming back,” the source said.
Before becoming the Batang Pier’s head coach in the 2014 PBA season, the 51-year-old Jarencio enjoyed a successful 8-year run as head coach of UST.
Jarencio’s Growling Tiger teams made the Final Four 6 times, appeared in the finals thrice, and won a championship during his first season in 2006 against Norman Black and the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Jarencio, a former PBA player who won two championships, however, did not enjoy similar success in the pros, where his GlobalPort teams made it to the playoffs in only 3 conferences and won only one quarterfinal series against Ginebra.
The most turbulent event of Jarencio’s time coaching the Batang Pier took place toward the end of the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup, when his position as head coach was taken over by assistant manager Johnedel Cardel for GlobalPort’s last two elimination round games due to a disappointing campaign.
The Batang Pier finished the conference with a 3-8 record. On Sunday, May 15, a report by Spin.ph indicated that sources say Jarencio has been replaced by his assistant, Eric Gonzales, who actually took over head coaching duties for some time during the 2015 PBA season while Jarencio was temporarily made a consultant.
The report also included that new Adamson Soaring Falcons head coach Franz Pumaren will be a consultant moving forward for the Batang Pier, but when Rappler reached out to Pumaren for confirmation, he responded: “[There is] nothing concrete.”
Rappler also reached out to GlobalPort team manager Bonnie Tan for confirmation if Gonzales is the new head coach, but as of this article’s publication, he has yet to respond.
When Rappler reached out to Jarencio on Monday for comment on his position in GlobalPort, he said that “May official statement naman silang (Batang Pier) ilalabas. Wala pa kasi official.”
(GlobalPort’s going to release a statement. Nothing’s official yet.)
There are some in UST, nonetheless, who are under the impression that Jarencio will no longer be GlobalPort’s head coach and a return is perhaps imminent.
“One coach – he’s not from UST, but he’s from GlobalPort – said that since Coach Pido was [let go as head coach] from GlobalPort, Coach Pido said he’s going back to UST, but it wasn’t detailed,” said the source.
“He was the one who told coach that he’s going back to UST, but right now we haven’t been hearing from school officials [about] the final decision. But I think we’re going to know about it [in the] last week of May.”
The source reminded that nothing is concrete and all of this is still chatter, though it’s getting louder. Another report by Spin.ph in April indicated that “there is growing clamor for the return” of Jarencio as UST’s head coach from alumni and “major backers of the Tigers.”
When Rappler asked Jarencio about the possible reunion in University of Sto. Tomas, the head coach said: “Wala pa, no comment pa tayo diyan.”
(Nothing yet, I have no comment.)
When pressed on about possible interest from his part to make another run as UST’s head coach, Jarencio again responded: “Basta no comment muna.”
(I have no comment.)
Rappler also reached out on Monday to UST athletic director Rod Sambuan about a potential Jarencio return, to which he replied: “Wala, walang pang ganon. Wala pang advise. Wala pang coach.”
(There’s nothing yet. No advise yet. There’s still no coach.)
Sambuan, who said the final decision on the vacant spot will come from the Director’s Office, said “Wala pang nakakaalam” about who UST’s next head coach will be.
(No one knows yet.)
A source told Rappler that former UST players Chris Cantonjos and Bal David have expressed interest in taking over as the school’s next men’s basketball head coach.
The Growling Tigers have been without one since it was revealed that Bong Dela Cruz, who was an assistant under Jarencio and the coach of the team from 2014-2015, was being investigated for verbal and physical abuse while calling the shots for the varsity team.
Since the absence of Dela Cruz, whose contract ended in April, Cantonjos has taken over practice sessions for UST, with players from both Teams A and B taking part.
Cantonjos, who like David played for the Growling Tigers in the 90s, is also currently the head coach of UST’s junior’s and women’s basketball teams. – Rappler.com
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