On the evening of July 3, Ateneo de Manila University announced that it had signed Brazilian Sergio Veloso as the head coach of its women’s volleyball team, replacing Oliver Almadro.
This ended Almadro’s decade-long connection to the Blue Eagles’ volleyball programs, during which they won four championships – three in the men’s division and one in the women’s division.
A week later, Almadro expressed no ill will towards the school, wishing the program he helped build nothing but the best.
“They announced that they have a new coach, they’re going in another direction, and I wish Ateneo well in their future endeavors,” said Almadro on Tuesday after his club team, Petro Gazz, defeated Farm Fresh in the PVL Invitational Conference.
The long-under-fire tactician also mentioned that he has not yet had a chance to talk to any of his players at Ateneo since then.
The Blue Eagles lost key players heading into UAAP Season 86, as Faith Nisperos, Vanie Gandler, and Joan Narit all turned professional.
“No, hindi ko sila nakausap eh. Walang chance na they come to me or me going to them, so there’s no chance na nakausap ko yung mga previous players but it’s okay. I’m sure they’re on the right track,” said Almadro.
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran product will now focus solely on the Angels, who have a 2-1 record in Pool B of the compact conference.
Only the top two teams per pool will advance to the semifinals, where they will face Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan, Kinh Bac Bac Ninh of Vietnam, and the teams from the other group.
“I’m staying put, focus muna sa Petro Gazz, tingnan namin kung saan kami aabot this conference and prepare on the next conference kasi maikli lang ngayon tapos mahaba naman yung susunod,” he said.
However, Almadro is still open to future job opportunities.
“Kung meron mang nandiyan, I guess it’s God’s will and I hope makatulong ako kung saan man ako makapunta or kung saan man ako hingan ng tulong. Tayo naman, we’ll do our job the very best we can kung meron mang opportunities,” said Almadro.
