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Rain or Shine assistant coach Chris Gavina and former Philippine Institute of Technology coach Potit de Vera have submitted their applications to be the next UST Growling Tigers head coach.
The two confirmed their respective moves on Friday, a week after Aldin Ayo vacated the seat in light of the controversy over the Bicol bubble.
Gavina, 41, is the first person other than Thomasiana to apply for the job and said he threw his name on his hat because he was “in love [by] the competitive spirit of the UST Growling Tigers last year. “
“They exhibited an admirable amount of determination in their run to the final. The sense of pride and responsibility that the players demonstrated to each other, as well as to the entire UST community, left a lasting impression on my decision to run for the now-coach. in chief. position, “he told ESPN5.com in a text message.
Gavina’s resume is as impressive as it sounds and could be her greatest strength over other competitors.
After starting as a strength and conditioning coach for the Philippine Patriots in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) and for the Batang GlobalPort Pier, Gavina landed an assistant coach job with the Kia franchise in 2016 before receiving the head coach duties a year later.
He resigned after just two games in the 2017-18 season, but soon returned to the PBA as assistant coach Caloy Garcia with the Elasto Painters. Gavina also serves at the same time as the head coach of the Bacoor Strikers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
“Coaching and developing players in both the PBA and MPBL has provided me with valuable information in order to address the importance of having a ‘I want to be here’ attitude rather than a ‘I have to be here’ mentality. that I’ve changed his mindset, it allows me to instill a sense of ownership and pride in a player’s improvement approach, “he said.
“Once I am able to put into a player’s mind the effort, concentration and attention to detail necessary to excel at a high level, usually growth happens organically with that player and team and that attitude. it permeates the rest of the team. Success is just a by-product of their effort after that. “
Meanwhile, De Vera is the latest UST student to join the fray. After preparing for the Blue Eaglets Athenaeum in high school, he enrolled at UST, where he was on the Growling Tigers training team, but never broke the UAAP varsity team.
Last time he served as head coach of TIP, which regularly has strong seasons in the PBA D-League, National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) and Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), and was a part of basketball for the engineers. program for eight years. TIP, however, disbanded its varsity teams last May.
Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the FEU Tamaraws and also served as the head coach of the Baby Tams in the 2000s. From 2008 to 2010 he was an assistant coach for the UP Fighting Maroons under coach Aboy Castro and then Boyet Fernandez. . He also had a brief stint as an assistant coach at Boracay Rum in the PBA D-League.
In a brief message to ESPN5, De Vera admitted that “it is not the sexiest pick”, but believes that it is “the most qualified”.
Other applicants who have submitted a formal application are Gilbert Lao and Ed Cordero, while Siot Tanquingcen, Chris Cantonjos and Estong Ballesteros are also in the mix.
Former UST players Jeric Fortuna and Kim Lo have also run as assistant coaches, sources told ESPN5.com.
