Tigers shopping for new coach

MANILA, Philippines - University of Santo Tomas is reportedly taking the same route as Ateneo, La Salle and Adamson for UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball wars and is shopping around for a new coach.

The Tigers, according to a report on website Spin.ph, are parting ways with coach Bong dela Cruz, who steered the team to a runner-up finish the previous campaign.

Several names have started floating around as candidates for the post.

A source said Boy Sablan, current assistant coach at Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), looms as a strong contender. A former Glowing Goldie himself, Sablan was part of Pido Jarencio’s staff when the Tigers last won the UAAP title in 2006.

Bal David, Estong Ballesteros and Bennet Palad – three former UST players – are also reportedly in the mix.

The looming coaching change at UST seems a little surprising especially after Dela Cruz led the Tigers to the No. 1 position at the end of the Season 78 elims with 11-3 record and into the finals. The Tigers, however, lost to the Far Eastern U Tamaraws in three games and saw their drought extend to a ninth season.

If ever, UST will be the fourth team to get a new man at the helm following the 2015 hostilities. The Blue Eagles have appointed Gilas coach Tab Baldwin, while the Archers hired former Letran champion mentor Aldin Ayo, and the Falcons tapped multi-titled Franz Pumaren.