 |
| From the UP Fighting Maroons' Facebook page |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--The rumors swirling around the UP camp have finally been confirmed.
The Fighting Maroons officially named Bo Perasol their head coach for the upcoming UAAP season on Monday, replacing Rensy Bajar after just one year as the chief tactician.
The appointment was made formal when Perasol himself handled UP's practice right after he made a courtesy call to UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, the incumbent UAAP president.
Perasol is actually a familiar figure at the maroon side of Katipunan as he starred for the Maroons during the early 90's.
Although he did not have an established PBA career as a player, he had one as a coach, steering Air21, featuring a young Arwind Santos, to the 2008 Fiesta Cup Finals and gaffing Powerade to a Cinderella run from being eighth seeds to the 2012 Philippine Cup finalists.
After the Coke franchise was sold to GlobalPort, Perasol, who once coached UPIS in the high school ranks, returned to varsity hoops play as he was named Ateneo's coach, giving him the opportunity to handle Kiefer Ravena and Von Pessumal among others.
The Blue Eagles, however, failed to make the Final Four in his first year in 2013. They would make the semis as the top seeds the following season but fell to eventual champions NU Bulldogs, the first fourth-seeded team ever to capture the UAAP title.
A sluggish start to their 2015 campaign sparked rumors of a coaching change, which was confirmed by Perasol himself when he said that he will not return to Ateneo after the season.
Perasol's appointment as the new UP coach ended months of speculations following initial reports about it.
Perasol's tenure officially begins on Wednesday as the Maroons take on the Perpetual Help Altas in the FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup at the FilOil Flying V Centre. Tip-off is at 3:15 p.m.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
