LA Mumar to take over as Ateneo Lady Eagles head coach

LA Mumar will be making his coaching return come the UAAP Season 83 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Mumar is set for a homecoming, as he has been tapped as the head coach of Ateneo. He replaces Kat Quimpo, who only had one season with the Lady Eagles.

“It’s a blessing for me to get back to working in the sidelines. Coaching is in my blood, from my lolo Lauro to my dad Larry,” said Mumar, who after being let go by Lyceum-Cavite was tasked to be the Tournament Director for the UAAP Season 82 Collegiate Basketball Tournament.

“What makes this extra special is I get to coach in my alma mater. I played here in Ateneo from grade school to college,” continued Mumar, who graduated with a Developmental Studies degree.

Mumar will have a tough task come Season 83, though.

Katrina Guytingco, Alyssa Villamor, Pam Payac, Nic Cancio, and Mel Newsome have already exhausted all their playing years.

The Lady Eagles are coming off a 5-9 season, and have yet to reach the Final Four in four years. Still, Mumar remains optimistic about what lies ahead.

“We’re losing half the team to graduation, but I’m very excited with this group because they are teachable and passionate about basketball. We still have Jhaz Joson, Joanne Nimes, and Zoe Chu who I think will take their game to another level,” shared Mumar, who was the one who recruited Mac Guadana and John Barba to Lyceum six years ago.

“We hope to surprise a lot of teams this year.”