UP head coaching job to stay vacant until January

MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroon’s soon-to-be vacant head coaching position will likely not be filled until January 2015.

University of the Philippines’ UAAP board representative Ronnie Dizer told Rappler on Monday, December 1, that the search committee tasked with finding the Fighting Maroons’ new head coach has requested for more time to screen candidates due to the high amount of applicants – a number of whom are former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coaches. 

The committee earlier said they will appoint a new head coach by December 15, 2014.

“Actually, the search committee is requesting for more time, kasi medyo marami ang mga aplikante (because there are a lot of applicants),” said Dizer, who’s also the Dean of UP’s College of Human Kinetics. 

Dizer said the committee is not rushing the decision “for the simple reason that they will be able to get the best choice. Ayaw nila ma-pressure (they don’t want to be pressured), so they’re requesting for more time,” which he said will likely be until January.

The Fighting Maroons’ head coaching spot will officially be vacated after December 31, 2014, which is the last day of current head coach Rey Madrid’s contract with the team. 

Madrid coached the Maroons to a disappointing 1-13 record after aiming for at least three wins for the squad in Season 77 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.

Madrid also served a two-game suspension during Season 77 for calling out the league’s officials following what he felt was questionable decision making on their part during UP’s first-round loss to the UST Growling Tigers, 73-57.

Dizer said around 10 to 11 sent their applications to be UP’s next head coach, but the search committee requested to not announce the names of the applicants.

“They don’t want to divulge the applicants,” he said about the committee, which consists of UP team manager Dan Palami, UP athletic director Ariel Juliano, and UP CHK Dean Artemio Isidro, among others. “So that if they (the applicants) don’t get hired, it won’t be embarrassing for them.” 

Former UAAP champion and UST Growling Tigers head coach Pido Jarencio is also included in the search committee. He was recently dismissed as the head coach of the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA after spending a few conferences with the team. He still serves Batang Pier as a consultant.

With Jarencio no longer coaching in the PBA, there have been speculations that he will might wind up taking the UP head coaching spot. Dizer, however, said there have been no discussions of such an event taking place. 

“Wala naman sinisignify na interest na ganun (there hasn’t been any significant interest.” – Rappler.com