Ricky Dandan passed away on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 61.
Upon hearing of his passing, longtime friend and colleague Bo Perasol paid tribute to Dandan, saying, “Rest In Peace, Tol — a true and loyal friend, Coach Ricky Dandan.”
Dandan began his coaching career with the Manila Metrostars, one of the prominent teams in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA).
His early coaching experience laid the foundation for what would become a long and varied career.
From there, he went on to mentor numerous Philippine Basketball League (PBL) teams, guiding young athletes with a focus on both skill and character development.
In the Philippine Basketball Association, Dandan served as an assistant coach for the Air21 Express and later moved to the Powerade Tigers.
During his tenure at Powerade, he also took on the role of head coach for his alma mater University of the Philippines in the UAAP.
Although his time with UP was short-lived due to a challenging season, he remained deeply connected to the program, later supporting the Maroons in an assistant role under Perasol.
Dandan was also part of Perasol’s staff at Ateneo.
Dandan continued his career in the PBA with GlobalPort Batang Pier (now known as NorthPort).
He later moved to the Columbian Dyip (now Terrafirma), initially as lead assistant.
After Chris Gavina’s resignation early in the 2017 season, Dandan stepped up as head coach. He eventually decided to refocus his energies, resigning from the role to join Perasol and his UP Maroons staff as an assistant coach.
Dandan remained as a part of UP’s Office of Athletic and Sports Development until his passing.
