Decorated head coach George Pascua will be making his comeback to the UAAP Seniors Volleyball scene, this time stepping in for his former player Shaq Delos Santos as head coach of the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.
“George Pascua will be the new head coach of the FEU Women’s Volleyball Team,” FEU Athletics Director Mark Molina said Sunday afternoon.
Pascua, who won several championships with FEU as a player and coach of the Men’s team, last manned the sidelines for the green and gold in UAAP Season 76 when his Tamaraws bowed out of the Final Four to the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.
According to Molina, the program decided to replace Delos Santos due to his desire to focus on his job with the Petron Blaze Spikers.
“That’s one of the things that came up during the exit interviews,” Molina furthered. “We’re still talking but he might still be with FEU in some capacity. He’s been very professional about it and he will hopefully still be part of the program.
“He will always be part of FEU.”
Pascua was recently re-hired by his alma mater to serve as consultant for the high school program after, coincidentally, Delos Santos replaced him as head coach of the Petron Blaze Spikers of the Philippine Superliga.
Expectations will be high in Pascua’s first year as head coach.
The core of the team, led by Bernadeth Pons and Toni Basas, has consistently made the UAAP Final Four for the last three seasons. The Lady Tamaraws had also recently recruited promising players from Cebu. With the rest of the league losing talent, the Lady Tamaraws are one of the favorites to make the Season 80 Finals.
Pascua’s staff will include Men’s Volleyball team head coach Rey Diaz while the team is also talking to Remy Palma and Rachel Daquis.