NEWLY-appointed Letran coach Rensy Bajar is not shying away from the challenge of leading the Knights to a four-peat in the 99th NCAA basketball tournament later this year.
“We’re just continuing the legacy sa kung ano mang sinimulan ni coach Bonnie, iyong winning culture na nabuo na dito sa Letran,” Bajar said. “Nangangako kaming coaches every game na ibibigay namin ang lahat.
“Mahirap man pero lahat posibleng mangyari. Kaya ipagpapatuloy lang namin iyong ginagawa namin before with the guidance of coach Bonnie,” he added.
Bajar signed a two-year contract yesterday with Letran rector Fr. Clarence Victor Marquez, OP and athletic director Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, officially replacing Bonnie Tan.
With the Knights seeking to annex a fourth straight title and 21st overall, Bajar will bank on veterans Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillonar, Kobe Monje, and Andrey Guarino, along with their new recruits, among them transferee Deo Cuajao.
Letran also retained Tan’s assistants Raymund Tiongco and Lou Gatumbato, conditioning coach Rap Avenido, and assistant team manager Joey Uy, with Matthew Sia and John Paul Caparas being added the staff.
It’s a historic move for Letran, with Bajar becoming the first Knights tactician to come from archrival San Beda University.
Bajar was a star guard for the Red Lions in the mid-1990s and played alongside Ralph Rivera before becoming a third-round selection in the 2002 PBA draft, spending six seasons in the league with stops at Shell and Alaska.
He also called the shots for University of the Philippines in 2015.
Bajar is also strategist and athletic director of Diliman College, steering the Blue Dragons to back-to-back UCBL crowns in 2018 and 2019, while serving as Tan’s deputy in Letran since 2019 and as deputy for NorthPort in the PBA since 2017.
Aside from Bajar, Letran also welcomed Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla as its new chief backer and new team manager.
