EYEING to form a competitive national team for the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup the country will host next year, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation announced over the weekend the tapping of veteran Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni as the new mentor of Alas Pilipinas.
Frigoni, 70, steered the Italian women’s volleyball team to ninth place in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara made the announcement on the sidelines of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League Manila leg at the Mall of Asia Arena, adding the team’s current mentor, Sergio Veloso, has been re-assigned as the head of the federation’s grassroots program.
“Sergio will now be director for junior development, so we are now setting up a junior development program,” Suzara said of the Brazilian coach.
Suzara said Veloso will take the Under-18 and Under-20 men’s and women national squad, noting they will both see action in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand in November.
Veloso will also serve as a scout for the national teams and will be in Cebu to identify promising players who may emerge from the Palarong Pambansa national finals scheduled July 8 to 16 in Cebu City.
As part of the national men’s team buildup, Suzara said he is headed for the US next week where national tryouts will be conducted in Los Angeles.
“After the VNL, we will leave for Los Angeles and we will have a tryout in the US with Filipino-Americans. Just like last year when we had (Steve) Rotter and Ryan Kaa,” he said.
