COACHES of the Year Droughts ended, redemption completed, dominance asserted, and breakthrough feats celebrated.
The UAAP Season 87 and NCAA Season 100 basketball as well as volleyball seasons produced these storylines, and crucial as the athletes were in shaping these stories, their coaches were equally important in their quest for glory.
Recognizing the brilliant minds behind the champion teams, the Collegiate Press Corps will fete them as ‘Coaches of the Year’ at the San Miguel Corporation-Collegiate Press Corps (SMC-CPC) Awards Night at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas, Pasig on June 30.
For leading the UP Fighting Maroons to the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball championship, Goldwin Monteverde will be recognized as the ‘UAAP Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year’ for the second time in the third staging of the awards also presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Pilipinas Live and GMA, as the Diliman-based crew outlasted De La Salle University in the Finals series.
Taking a page out of Monteverde’s playbook is Mapua head coach Randy Alcantara, who steered the Cardinals to their first title in 33 years at the expense of the College of St. Benilde Blazers at the NCAA Season 100 basketball tourney.
Alcantara, who was still a player in Mapua’s back-to-back title runs before the drought that includes a Season 99 finals defeat to San Beda, will therefore be hailed as the ‘NCAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year’ in the event also backed by World Balance, E-Sports International, Centaur Marketing, My Daily Collagen and Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things.
In the women’s side, the NU Lady Bulldogs redeemed themselves in Season 87 after getting back at the UST Growling Tigresses, who denied them an 8-peat in 2023, thanks to the mentorship of ArisDimaunahan who led NU to its second title in three years and is to be hailed as the ‘UAAP Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year’.
Moving to volleyball, dominance is the name of the game for the NU Lady Bulldogs who claimed their second straight and third title in four years in Season 87 after topping the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the Big Dance anew, all with the guidance of established winning coach Sherwin Meneses.
Meneses is set to be recognized as ‘UAAP Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year’, while his good pal and counterpart in NU men’s team Dante Alinsunurin is the ‘UAAP Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year’.
Alinsunurin authored the Bulldogs’ historic five-peat after they turned back the top-seeded FEU Tamaraws in the Finals, 2-1, with his team becoming the first to win five straight golds in the tourney since FEU’s 12 consecutive title runs from 1946 to 1958.
The dominance theme spread over to the NCAA Season 100 women’s volleyball, where the Benilde Lady Blazers seized a four-peat after sweeping the Letran Lady Knights in the finale.
Behind this title streak is tactician Jerry Yee, called the shots for Lady Blazers even as a consultant this centennial season, who’s efforts are enough to get him the ‘NCAA Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year’ plum.
Last but not the least is the Arellano Chiefs’ breakthrough championship in NCAA Season 100 men’s volleyball led by Bryan Vitug, who guided the school to its first title since joining the league in 2009 and is the rightful winner of the ‘NCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year’.
Seeded third after the eliminations, Vitug and company overcame a twice-to-beat disadvantage against no. 2 seed Mapua Cardinals in the semis before sweeping Letran Knights in the championships.
