6-foot-6 hope for Philippine volleyball Jaja Santiago is just scratching the surface of her potential.
Foton Tornadoes head coach Moro Branislav gave a preview of just how good Santiago can be, using the traditional middle blocker as an opposite hitter against PSL rival Petron.
The adjustment worked as the Cavite-native fired off 19 points and keyed pivotal plays that swung a tightly-contested five-setter towards their favor.
“Kahapon lang din sinabi sa akin ni coach [na mago-opposite ako]. Sinabi niya na kalimutan ko na daw ‘yung career ko as a middle blocker,” Santiago recalled.
Former Foton head coach Vilet Ponce-De Leon had experimented with using Santiago as a wing spiker in the 2016 All-Filipino Conference.
Branislav is trying to optimize his lineup, fielding as many of his tall players as he can at the same time. The Serbian mentor sees Santiago as the versatile piece that makes his staggeringly-long lineup work.
“Jaja is [a] very good player and she’s willing to learn a lot from what I teach. I think my players will get more and more used to the experiments we make in the lineup to keep our strategies changing for the opponent,” Branislav said.
One person who is not a fan of Santiago’s shift of position is her National University head coach Roger Gorayeb. The longtime mentor told Tiebreaker Times in past interviews that he prefers if Santiago masters the middle blocker position first.
For his part, Branislav has no comment regarding Gorayeb’s remarks but he’s adamant with his belief that Santiago can flourish in the opposite.
“In Europe all middle blockers can also play opposite.
“There’s not much difference; you block, serve, hit, and play a little defense in both positions. Not much serve receive. Jaja can be great as a right side hitter with her height and skills,” the Serbian mentor said.
As for what position she wants to play, Santiago puts her trust in her coaches and their decisions.
“Nagtitiwala naman ako sa mga coaches ko na ‘yung gusto nilang ipagawa sa akin is ‘yung makakatulong talaga para sa development ko at para sa team.
“As a player, hinahanda ko lang lagi ang sarili para sa instructions nila,” the 20-year-old said.
