TERRAFIRMA’S painstaking bid to gain relevance in the PBA will continue with coach Johnedel Cardel no longer calling the shots.
After six years, the Dyip parted ways with Cardel yesterday, with his erstwhile assistant, Raymond Tiongco, taking over at the helm.
Tiongco will be joined in the new-look Dyip brain trust by former manager Ronald Tubid and Raymond Gavieres.
Cardel replaced Ricky Dandan during the Commissioner’s Cup in 2018 but his stint with Terrafirma proved to be an agonizing struggle, posting just 32 wins against 114 losses.
In the last edition of the Philippine Cup, Cardel guided the Dyip to a surprise quarterfinals stint where they fell one win shy of a semifinals slot opposite eventual bridesmaid and powerhouse San Miguel Beer.
That Terrafirma quintet was bannered by the likes of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Juami Tiongson, and Andreas Cahilig.
Cardel, 54, a former La Salle player in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
“Of course, of course, maganda na iyong team, ang takbo ng team na ito. Dadagdagan na lang ito para maging stable at saka ma-maintain namin kung ano iyong performance namin nitong all-Filipino,” Cardel said when asked if he wanted to keep this line-up in a previous interview. “Kasi, All-Filipino pa rin tayo right? Kung ano lang iyong kulang naming iyon ang dapat (punuan). This coming All-Filipino, kailangang maging pulido kami.
“Maybe five, another point guard na malaki para makapagpahinga si Holt and si Juami, or maybe another shooter,” he added.
But things turned out differently.
The Dyip shipped Holt and Go to Ginebra in an off-season blockbuster trade for veterans Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.
Gomez de Liaño also left and brought his act to the Korean Basketball League.
Terrafirma tabbed Paolo Hernandez and Didat Hanapi in the last draft but it groped for from in the ongoing Governors’ Cup marked by an injury to original import Brandon Edwards even before the 49th season got going.
The Dyip wound up with a 1-9 slare in the season-opening meet–their only victory at the expense of the reigning champions TNT Tropang Giga–and proved to be Cardel’s last act with the franchise.
This case is a perfect reminder to strategists in the pro league–one is hired to be fired.
