JUST WHEN the Blue Spikers were getting a hang of their new head coach, they lost him.
After their first win of the season, against Adamson, Coach Boyet Del Moro resigned, stating his departure was due to personal problems.
“We’re used to it, so it doesn’t really have an effect on us,” said team captain Ed Ortega. Last year, a similar scenario played out as they also lost former Head Coach Oliver Almadro in the thick of the season.
As much as it affected the team’s organization, the coaching change impacted the new recruits the most. Assistant coach and former team captain Timmy Sto. Tomas said the rookies were more disappointed when they heard the news.
“Coach Boyet promised the rookies that he’ll monitor them because he was good in training newcomers. So now that he’s gone, they asked, ‘Why did coach leave us?’” Sto. Tomas shared in Filipino. “But for the seniors, it’s really like that. Just move on and make use of what we have.”
They also made a repeat of their 2-5 first round finish last year. Interim coaching duties will now rest on the hands of three assistants: Timmy Sto. Tomas, Leo Toyco and Mario Mia. Of the three, Sto. Tomas is the one to watch out for, mainly because he was responsible for the team’s surprise 6-1 finish in the second round.
Hopefully, the change will be for the better. The men’s team has failed to meet the expectations set so far by now former coach Boyet, who said that he would accept nothing less than third place. The squad is in a similar position, and with all expectations reset, Ortega and the rest of the Blue Spikers look poised to prove themselves like last year.
The team has undergone quite a lot of changes since then, with the loss of Del Moro being the latest of a string of roster and administrative shuffling.
Four new rookies were introduced, though only open-hitter Ricci Gonzales has been given ample playing time
In their last three games, the boys in Blue have not delivered either. NU came from behind for the win after the Blue Spikers took the first two sets, 2-0. FEU took them out in straight sets after JJ Sandoval, one of the team’s more solid players, sat out the game with a patellar injury. Meanwhile, UP won the battle of Katipunan with a three set victory,
“If we won the NU game, I think our performance would have been different in the next games. It’s just the second game, and we already lost, to NU.” explained Ortega in a mix of English and Filipino.
“We don’t want to count [our wins anymore]. We’ll just play game per game,” he added.
“I don’t see any passion in them. It’s like they’re just inside the court, playing. It seems that they don’t want to win,” continued a dejected Sto. Tomas in Filipino.
Assistant Coach Leo Toyco added,”[A leader] is what we’re looking for. AJ [Pareja] was their leader for two years. Last year, we finished third and nearly went to the Finals. Now, no one knows who’ll step up.”
Although their 2-5 win slate may hamper their postseason goals, the coaching crew is prepped to continue and improve where Del Moro left off.
For Sto. Tomas, it was simple: the team will have to be more adept at serving, receiving, and blocking. Their strategy would put more emphasis on defense and limiting the scoring opportunities of each squad they face.
Toyco added that the squad should learn how to start strong and stop getting on their heels every game. They cannot afford to tail every game because it had been a common theme that they have been breathing down the other teams’ necks. Playing from behind was a harder task than expected.
For now, the team looks to carry on Del Moro’s routine, while the interim coaches have done some tweaking to suit their goals. Sto. Tomas is confident that the coaching staff is competent enough to rack up the wins.
In another situation eerily similar to last year’s, the challenge for Blue Spikers now is to get enough wins to enter the final four―enough to replicate or improve on that year’s success.
