USJ-R's Salacut, Duran switch coaching chores

In an effort to bring back the glory days of the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) cage wars, the school officials of USJ-R have elevated high school champion coach Edito "Itoy" Salacut to take the post of collegiate mentor Donaldo Duran.

In return, Duran will take over the post vacated by Salacut.

The decision was handed recently by the USJ-R top administrators in order to rebuild what could be a competitive Jaguars team in this year's 6th CESAFI season set to take off sometime in August.

Under coach Jun Tan, the Jaguars lost in all four finals appearances to the mightier and taller University of the Visayas Green Lancers of coach Elmer "Boy" Cabahug.

It was only last year that the Jaguars, under the tutelage of Duran, failed to advance to the championship round.

USJ-R athletic director Dioscoro Himotas said they brought in Salacut to handle the collegiate team because he is more experienced then Duran.

Himotas added the administration also believes there is hope for another finals trip under the wings of Salacut, a former Jaguar enforcer from Dumaguete City.

Duran, then the assistant of Tan, was named interim coach because there was not enough time for the Jajuars to overhaul their coaching staff.

Salacut, who played for the USJ-R Jaguars until the 1993 season of the CAAA era, won his first title as coach in 1996 when the then Jercules Tangkay-led Baby Jaguars beat the Don Bosco Greywolves of coach Hermes Sumalinog in the finals to win the secondary championship.

Salacut won his second title in 2002 when the Baby Jaguars defeated the highly-touted UV Baby Lancers, 2-1, in one of the biggest comebacks in the CESAFI history.