After leading Centro Escolar University to unprecedented heights over the past year, Jeff Perlas has decided to step aside from his post as head coach of the Scorpions.
Perlas has stepped aside from his position for undisclosed reasons.
“In the past months, we experienced everything… from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. Kailangan magpahinga ng kaunti siguro and take a breather to process it all,” said Perlas, who will remain as a consultant for the Scorpions during the transition process.
“Whoever becomes the new coach, you have to give them space and the opportunity to grow.”
According to multiple sources closely monitoring the situation, current National University assistant coach Britt Reroma will take the mantle as head coach of the Scorpions.
After Game 2 of the 2024 PBA D-League Finals on May 9, Perlas bid farewell to his players.
It was an emotional moment for the Scorpions.
“Just like I’ve been telling the players, looking back at the season, no one expected us to be here. Our story is about becoming together as a team. The technical side of basketball is just there,” shared Perlas.
“I wrote on our board before the start of our training camp, ‘80-20.’
“Eighty percent of our practices were about building the culture, and twenty percent was about the system,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
The past five months have been nothing short of magical for the Scorpions.
Despite fielding a team battered by injuries and departures, the Scorpions knocked off the top dogs of the Universities and Colleges Athletics League to secure back-to-back championships.
Then, in the PBA D-League, they defeated the champions of the NCAA and NAASCU to finish in second place — just behind the top team in all of collegiate basketball, De La Salle University.
“Nag-peak kami at the right time sa UCAL. Tuloy-tuloy kami hanggang sa PBA D-League. They became one team. Inembrace nila ang lahat yun. They set aside their egos, even though we faced tougher opponents in the PBA D-League,” he looked back with wonder.
Though saddened by the decision, this batch of Scorpions will forever hold a special place in Perlas’s heart.
After all, he not only gained a championship in his resume, but he also gained new sons.
“This is my first head coaching role at a higher level of collegiate basketball. As I told them on Day 1, the challenge was how to become a father figure to them. It’s easy to be a coach, but it’s hard to be a father to the players,” he shared.
“That was one of my special moments with them. They did not treat me as just their coach but also as their second father. That’s what I learned from Coach Eric (Altamirano) and Coach Topex (Robinson), that it’s more than just the game. It’s such a beautiful story for all of us,” he continued.
“I told them after the PBA D-League, from nobody, they became somebody in their lives and in mine. I will cherish this for the rest of my life.”
