It’s become a familiar sight: Oliver Almadro crumpling to the floor, whispering prayers of thanks, and hugging his players as the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles win a UAAP championship.
It’s become routine for the past three years, but every season the journey to that blissful celebration has been special. This season, it was a season sweep that Almadro’s Blue Eagles added to their growing list of milestones.
Almadro, no matter how much they achieve, will remain ever grateful and hungry. After all, no one had expected him to win anything.
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Almadro got his first coaching break when he was still struggling to make the line-up of the Letran Men’s Volleyball Team in the late 90’s. Just as the fiery setter was about to get his break, he caught a sickness that would cause him to miss the NCAA sesson.
That was when he started to realize that coaching might be his true calling.
He started pitching in with the staff that included Ramil De Jesus. When De Jesus got a call to coach the De La Salle University Lady Spikers, Almadro was brought up as well.
For the next 10 years, Almadro helped rebuild the Lady Spikers into a dynasty, gaining a reputation for his recruiting. Stories have it that Almadro convinced legends like Chie Saet and Cha Cruz to suit up for La Salle.
It was when Almadro left La Salle that he was challenged greatly. His first stint with Ateneo was short-lived as Almadro left for the National University Men’s Volleyball team. In his two years with NU, Almadro built the foundations for an eventual two-time champion team.
However, he never saw his squad reach its peak. By Season 74, Almadro was booted out of Sampaloc, two years before Peter Torres, Berlin Paglinawan, Edwin Tolentino, Vince Mangulabnan, and Reyson Fuentes won NU’s first title.
Almadro had admittedly never thought he would get another chance to coach Ateneo, but when Loyola came calling again, Almadro vowed to get back stronger.
In his first season, Almadro immediately brought the Blue Eagles to the Season 76 Finals with rookie MVP Marck Espejo and rookie Best Setter Ish Polvorosa. They lost to NU in the Finals but that only stoked Almadro’s fire.
Now, the Blue Eagles have won three straight titles, 10 consecutive matches against NU, and a whopping 30 consecutive games overall. To this date, Almadro is still motivated by his falling out with NU.
“Ateneo believed in me. They took me back, believed in me. I didn’t promise them anything, I didn’t promise them anything. But they really, really trusted me. My players trusted me. They know how hard I am, but they trusted me,” a tearful Almadro shared. “These are tears of joy because I remember what happened to me before I came back to Ateneo. I always remember that, and I took that as an inspiration to work hard. And I took that as an inspiration for me, for my children, for my family and for my team.
“They [NU] said I am the weakest link, now I am proving them, I am not the weakest link. They said it to me, that I am the weakest link, but now I am not the weakest link.
“I surpassed their back-to-back, we are three-peat and we are gunning for four, I promise. But of course, we really have to prepare for it,” Almadro added.
“God has a will for us. God has a plan for us always. God really has a plan. We really don’t know what will happen, but just believe in His plans, I told my players. We are struggling academically, everything, but I told them just to believe in themselves and believe in God’s plan. So 16-0, Mama Mary, Lord Jesus, thank you so much.”
