Denok Miranda is now giving back to his Alma Mater in a way he can.
The 36-year-old floor general, who was in the PBA for 12 years, has now joined the FEU Tamaraws’ coaching staff. He made his debut on Monday, when Chadao-FEU saw action in the 2019 PBA D-League versus SMDC-NU Bulldogs.
And it was indeed a debut worth remembering for the two-time UAAP gold medalist and two-time PBA champ, since the Tamaraws put on an impressive showing en route to an 82-64 win.
“Oo siyempre, giving back.”
Miranda, who steered FEU to two championships, had been appointed as an assistant coach around 2014. But it’s only now that he’s found more time to fulfill his duties, though, as the MPBL heads into the home stretch.
“Dati pa naman eh, parang 2014 … Eh, naglalaro pa ‘ko sa PBA noon, kaya ‘di pa ‘ko maka-focus sa kanila,” said Miranda, who was with the now-defunct Barako Bull franchise back in 2014.
“Eh ngayon, wala naman akong ginagawa na, patapos na rin yung MPBL, kaya kinausap na ko ni boss [Anton Montinola] na mag-focus na ko dito sa FEU juniors and seniors.”
Miranda began coaching in FEU back in December with the Baby Tams. And even with the short time, Miranda is glad to see the growth of some players, such as L-Jay Gonzales and Alec Stockton.
The two impressed in their win over NU. Stockton led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Gonzales produced 12 markers, three rebounds, and three assists without errors.
“Meron akong nakitang improvement sa mga guards lalo na dito kay L-Jay, kasi si L-Jay and Stockton yun ang mga tinututukan ko eh,” said Miranda, the third pick by Coca-Cola in 2005.
“Sana maging consistent sila kasi siyempre consistent din ako magturo sa kanila, everyday din kami nagkikita. Sana ma-grab nila yung dati kong ginagawa sa FEU nung naglalaro pa ‘ko.”
