De La Salle University’s coaching staff beamed with pride as their former colleague, Benson Bocboc, now leads his own team, University of the Philippines, in the UAAP.
Although the Lady Spikers claimed victory over the Fighting Maroons, it wasn’t without resistance. They secured a hard-fought 25-22, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17 win for their second triumph in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday.
Bocboc was part of De La Salle’s coaching staff under Ramil de Jesus from 2016 to 2024, but he has since taken the next big step in his career.
After becoming the head coach of Farm Fresh in the Premier Volleyball League, he seized the opportunity to return to the UAAP, taking the helm of the UP women’s volleyball team.
“Kami naman, bilang matagal na kaming magkakasama, siyempre super proud kay Coach Boc since nag-gro-grow talaga siya. Yun naman yung matagal na winiwish ni Coach Ramil kay Coach Boc, na magkaroon siya ng team na siya mismo mag-head coach, so super proud,” shared long-time La Salle deputy Noel Orcullo.
Bocboc has already made an impact, guiding the Fighting Maroons to a 2-0 start in Season 87 with big wins over the UE Lady Warriors and the FEU Lady Tamaraws — surpassing UP’s lone win from Season 86.
Meanwhile, over in the PVL, Farm Fresh has also made strides under Bocboc’s leadership, recording its best conference yet with a 5-6 record in the ongoing 2024-25 All-Filipino.
The Foxies now face Akari in the qualifying round, vying for a direct quarterfinals berth.
For Bocboc, despite now being on the opposite side of the court, seeing his former colleagues still felt familiar.
“Wala lang, wala lang eh, kapitbahay ko pa din sila eh, lagi pa din kami nagkikita eh. So wala lang, on the side volleyball lang, laro lang volleyball. Different teams, pero volleyball pa rin,” said Bocboc, who previously served as De Jesus’ analytics coach.
“Outside, maybe we can consider all the same one family, walang problema. Basta I represent UP, they represent DLSU in a volleyball match, pero other than that, it’s different outside.”
According to Bocboc, his departure was merely the first step in what De Jesus had always envisioned — encouraging his staff to seek growth beyond La Salle.
Still, he was grateful for the kind words from De Jesus and the La Salle camp during their first UAAP showdown.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Ang layo pa, ayun talaga. Kahit na magkakasama kami, lagi kami pinupush na mag-coach sa labas. Lahat kami, hindi lang naman ako. So ngayon, nagkaroon lang na nauna naman ako sa club before going into UAAP, so hindi naman talaga naka-plano yun na ganun,” he said.
“So sabi ko, nakakatuwa naman kasi yun naman talaga. Kunwari ako, I have assistant coaches, I want them to grow also. Hindi naman ako 30 years or more to stay there in the same position. Everyone has different ideas, everyone has the potential to lead a team as well.”
