Despite a standout season with University of the Philippines, first-year head coach Benson Bocboc revealed that his return to lead the Fighting Maroons in the upcoming UAAP Season 88 Women’s Volleyball Tournament remains uncertain.
Bocboc, who was appointed by UP ahead of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament last October, disclosed that his one-year contract will expire shortly after the Fighting Maroons’ season-ending defeat to the Adamson University Lady Falcons on Sunday afternoon at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Ayon naman ang usapan nung una sa akin na this season lang. Ngayon, kung ano ‘man pag-usapan, sige tignan natin,” Bocboc shared with reporters.
“Tignan natin, papag-usapan siguro namin after this. We’ll try to organize and have a meeting with the players and the coaches. Siguro, mga one month, makikita na natin kung ano pupuntahan natin,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the uncertainty about his future with UP, Bocboc expressed a strong desire to continue working with the Fighting Maroons’ core, which he helped build and guide to a breakthrough Season 87 campaign.
In Bocboc’s first year at the helm, the Fighting Maroons proved their contender status in a highly competitive eight-team field, finishing with a 6-8 record in Season 87 to match their best record since Season 81 in 2019.
Throughout the season, Bocboc’s tactical brilliance played a pivotal role in UP’s stunning victories over three of the four semifinalists — defending champion National University, Season 85 titleholder De La Salle University, and 29-time UAAP champion Far Eastern University.
Should he return to the Fighting Maroons, one thing is certain — Bocboc and UP will push beyond their limits in a determined bid to snap a seven-year Final Four drought and to bring home the program’s first-ever UAAP women’s volleyball title.
“Definitely kung mag-stay ako, magpu-push tayo. Hindi pwede na ganito. Maganda yung performance, okay, pero kapos ‘eh, top four at sa finals. Kung maganda yung performance mo, dapat nasa top four ka,” said Bocboc, who also serves as head coach of the Farm Fresh team in the PVL.
“Maganda siguro sana pero yung anim na panalo, kulang pa pala ‘yon sa Final Four, kailangan pala siyam na panalo. Sa umpisa pa lang, kailangan bomba na talaga.”
Looking beyond the upcoming seasons, Bocboc also expressed concerns about the development of the Fighting Maroons’ future core.
The Season 87 roster is about to welcome former University of the East standouts Casiey Dongallo, Jelai Gajero, Kizzie Madriaga, Shamel Fernandez, and Jenalyn Umayam.
While the addition of the Lady Warriors’ key players to the Fighting Maroons is highly anticipated, Bocboc acknowledged that integrating them into the squad will be a challenging task.
This challenge arises from the deep chemistry already developed by key mainstays such as Kianne Olango and Bienne Bansil, along with the potential returns of Niña Ytang, Irah Jaboneta, and Joan Monares.
“Hindi madali. Ibang-iba. Yung energy nung 14 [players] is different. Sometimes, automatic gumagalaw sila ‘eh. I cannot guarantee na anyone coming in next season will create the same bond to form the 14 players. Hindi yan automatic na hindi ‘yon guaranteed, baka mas maging mahirap pa buuin yung team na ‘yon,” Bocboc remarked.
Despite these concerns, Bocboc — should he be renewed by the UP management — vowed to work closely with the UE core, under coach Obet Vital, to ensure a smooth integration into the Fighting Maroons and further the team’s success.
“Sana, pag dumaan tayo sa proseso at pag mineetingan namin ng management, na pipilitin natin habulin yung chemistry nila para mai-translate nila ‘yon sa potential Finals na team. ‘Yon yung potential, pero hindi natin alam kung magwwork or hindi. I cannot guarantee, pero tratrabahuin natin step-by-step,” he stressed.
“Sabihin natin na nandiyan pa ako, then ‘yon mag-guarantee ko sa inyo.”
