"I’m happy to be back," said the 10-time champion coach in the PBA who presided over the team practice at the Moro Lorenzo gym yesterday morning before attending a hastily-called press conference at the PLDT office in Makati in the afternoon.
"It’s been two years," he said of the period where he last coached a game, doing it for the Sta. Lucia Realty with which he won his last PBA title. "There’s the itch but what I didn’t know was that it (comeback) would be with Ateneo."
Black came into the wide Ateneo picture last year when he was named team consultant. He took over the summer training camp and helped youthful coach Sandy Arespacochaga in whipping the Blue Eagles into a serious contender.
Ateneo won its first seven games and was hailed as the title favorite. But in the process it lost main man Larry Fonacier to injury, a development which later told on the team that eventually missed the finals.
When the 68th UAAP season unfolds in July, the Blue Eagles will be hoping for the same hot start and a stronger finish. Black said he’s here to make sure that happens — despite all the pressure on and off the court.
"Pressure comes with coaching. Anytime you accept a coaching job, pressure comes with it," said Black. "The advantage was that I was with the team for nine months last year and I’ve been with them in one PBL conference."
Black said he can’t wait for the Fr. Martin Cup, a collegiate tournament which is set to begin in two weeks. Most of the UAAP teams are competing in the tournament normally used as a pre-UAAP season tune-up.
Black did not give any details of his contract with Ateneo — or if he even has one.
"Basically it’s just an agreement. It’s open-ended so let’s just see what happens. So far they’ve been taking care of me and I have no qualms with it," said Black.
Also present in the press conference were Arespacochaga, who humbly stepped down as head coach to be Black’s assistant, new team manager Paolo Trillo, and PLDT big boss and No.1 Ateneo supporter Manny Pangilinan.
Pangilinan got the ball rolling by thanking Black for accepting the post and Arespacochaga for staying on with the team. He said Black’s appointment came after more than two weeks of deliberation.
"It was not an afternoon decision. It took two weeks of assessing and I guess everybody agreed to this decision," said Pangilinan who, however, added later on that no other name cropped up other than Black’s.
Before leaving for a previous commitment, Pangilinan said it’s quite too early to tell how the Blue Eagles would fare under Black, a certified champion coach in the PBA where, as an import, he also known as "Mr. 100 Percent."
"We’re in a tryout situation. So it’s difficult to say how strong the team will be. We’re trying to find the right combination. And part of the job here is managing expectations," said Pangilinan.
Asked about his role in the team, Pangilinan said it’s nothing more than what most people think.
"My role here is just to support the team. The owner (of the team) is Ateneo," he said.
Arespacochaga said most of the players knew of the decision only yesterday but added that they all took it in stride.
"Things are clear among ourselves. We all know where we want to go. The players took it well. They have no problem with that," he said.