UAAP Season 85 was a disappointment for Ateneo de Manila University, finishing sixth out of eight teams with a dismal 4-10 record in the women’s volleyball tournament.
Receiving the ire of some Blue Eagle fans was the head coach of the team, Oliver Almadro.
Early this month, photos circulated online showing Sergio Veloso – the Brazilian coach handling the Philippine Men’s National Volleyball Team – overseeing the tryouts held by the school for its women’s volleyball team.
Almadro claims to have no knowledge of these rumors and intends to stay at Ateneo unless instructed otherwise.
“I don’t know. Hindi ko alam kung anong announcement e. I’m staying put. I’m just here around the corner, and I’m just waiting kung anong maging announcement,” said Almadro on Tuesday after his club team Petro Gazz lost a four-set match against Cignal in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.
“For now, I’m still staying put. Whatever happens, there hasn’t been any official communication. I haven’t received anything yet. So I just want to get the right announcement because the result is not always better than performance, and we coaches, I’m speaking for all coaches, work for the institution. Whatever we’re working on, we give our best. We offer our lives, we offer everything just to win. But sometimes it’s not always about winning. It’s about shaping lives and leaving legacies,” added the embattled coach.
“Whatever it may be, whatever plans or changes happen, we have to abide by them because our job is always like we are as good as our last performance. So we have to accept everything and put our trust in the Lord that there are better plans for all of us.”
Since the recent UAAP season concluded, the Blue Eagles have lost key players Faith Nisperos, Vanie Gandler, and Joan Narit, as they turned professional with Akari, Cignal, and Farm Fresh, respectively.
For his part, the two-division UAAP champion coach shared that he has not trained with the Blue Eagles since the start of the month.
Almadro himself is hopeful but cautious, considering that several schools have announced changes in their coaching staff.
National University brought back Norman Miguel as head coach, replacing Karl Dimaculangan, who led the Lady Bulldogs to their first championship in 65 years. Jerry Yee moved to the University of the East, making JP Yude the head coach of Adamson University.
Meanwhile, Far Eastern University announced that tactician Tina Salak now serves as team consultant as she prepares to migrate to the United States.
“Anyway, let’s pray for the best and hopefully soon. I don’t know kung ano pang… Ano kasi, nag-announce yung Adamson, nag-announce yung NU, nag-announce yung UE. Pero yung institution ko I don’t know pa if they want to announce,” said Almadro.
“I don’t want to speculate, I don’t want to preempt whatever happens. I’m just here. I love Ateneo. I’ve dedicated one-fourth of my life, 12 years, to Ateneo. Five golds, two silvers, two bronzes, not to mention other tournaments. So, no matter what, Ateneo is one of the best institutions.
“The character of one department does not reflect the entirety of Ateneo because Ateneo is the best school that I know. I’m still waiting to see what will happen. I cannot say anything. For now, let’s just stay put. I’m still here, and I don’t know yet what will transpire,” he closed.
