TAKING over from Topex Robinson, new Lyceum coach Jeff Perlas has buckled down to work and said the Pirates are thrilled in their fresh start under him.
“So far, so good. The players are responding pretty well in our five-times-a-week zoom sessions. We have an excellent attendance record despite their online classes. Since the transition, I made sure with the coaching staff that this is the best time for us to be teaching coaches while waiting for things to return to normal,” Perlas told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday.
“Players are very excited of what’s in store for us this upcoming season,” he added.
Perlas was tapped by Lyceum after Robinson was chosen last October to replace Louie Alas in an interim capacity as coach of Phoenix in the pro league. Robinson was officially named permanent coach last Nov. 1.
The Commission on Higher Education’s proper health and safety guidelines for the return of collegiate training pending the greenlight from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is a welcome sign but it’s still up to the teams if they want to go back to the gym.
“It’s a good sign but still it’s up to the participating school if they’re ready to resume face to face training,” Perlas said.
“It’s a welcome development of course but the safety and welfare of our players is our utmost priority.”
After back-to-back finals stints in 2017 and 2018, the Pirates wound up with a 13-5 card, good for second, after the elimination round in the last NCAA cage wars but lost to eventual champion Letran in their stepladder semifinal duel.
The NCAA intends to launch its new season, set to be hosted by Letran, early next year.
A member of National University’s staff that bagged the UAAP crown in 2014 under coach Eric Altamirano, Perlas, 43, said the option of the NCAA to hold its season in a bubble is just okay.
