Season 80 will mark Ramil De Jesus’ 20th season as head coach of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers. Season 80 may also be the ode to one of the greatest coaches in UAAP history.
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Just the mention of La Salle brings about images of glamour.
However, there is nothing glamorous about how De Jesus prapares his Lady Spikers prepare to dominate the UAAP. Rather than a state-of-the-art facility, the Lady Spikers train at the 7th floor of the Enrique Razon Building building on a basketball court. The space is humid and the court is flanked by bleachers on both sides.
On this court, De Jesus has stood for nearly two decades on the same wood table, drilling his players on proper way to block and play floor defense.
“Imagine niyo ako si (Alyssa) Valdez,” De Jesus bellowed as he spiked against his players in preparation for Season 78.
In preparing his players, De Jesus has probably made them imagine he was different star players from opposing teams. He was probably FEU’s Monica Aleta or UST’s Aiza Maizo at some point in the past; legends that have come and played in the UAAP, all beaten by Ramil De Jesus’ Lady Spikers.
De Jesus’ greatest accomplishment is in recruitment. By all accounts, he does not get players with the promise of copious. Instead, the Filipino Nick Saban guarantees that, if a player dilligently follows his program, they will become a star.
So, in the same gym that he trained the likes of Michelle Datuin, Manilla Santos, Aby Maraño, Michelle Gumabao, and Ara Galang, he prepares the Season 80 Lady Spikers for a shot to win a third straight title and his 11th in 20 seasons.
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For the past 19 seasons, the Lady Spikers have featured in 17 Finals which includes nine straight appearances dating back to Season 70.
The Lady Spikers have a major void to fill after losing team captain and starting setter Kim Fajardo. But Ramil De Jesus’ program follows a rhythm and never rebuilds as they assimilate as much talent as they lose.
The pressure will be on sophomore Michelle Cobb to fill in for Fajardo, a National Team-level setter. Cobb, by accounts of opposing coaches who faced La Salle in the off-season, is a solid setter, but lacks the height that La Salle playmakers usually have.
Cobb knows that it’s not going to be easy to run a championship-level offense so she’s not going bother playing like Fajardo. She has her own style which her teammates and coaches trust.
“Iniisip ko na lang na it’s normal.
“Given the legacy that Ate Kim left, parang it comes with a lot of expectations. Feel ko ‘yung pressure talaga. Siyempre, a lot of people look at our team, maraming naka-tingin. I feel like normal ‘yung pressure. I was expecting it also. Pabigat na ng pabigat,” expressed the St. Scholastica’s product.
“Coach would always say na different ‘yung setting styles namin ni Ate Kim. That was big factor kasi they (seniors) were very flexible and they were letting me do my things as if wasn’t doing anything wrong. They were adjusting, ganyan. Lagi nilang sinasabi sa akin na, pag kunyari napag-iinitan na ako, parang sinasabi nila na don’t worry kasi I have them to lean on.”
“I told her before na, you are not Ate Kim, you are Michelle Cobb, you have to make a name for yourself,” Dawn Macandili remembers telling Cobb.
“You have to discover what your technique is. It’s good that you learn something from Ate Kim and from the other setters that you look up to, pero in the end, ikaw pa rin ang gagawa ng sarili mong pangalan and sarili mong technique as a setter.”
Aside from Cobb’s position, La Salle has proven veterans everywhere else. Opposite hitter Kianna Dy and libero Dawn Macandili both campaigned with the National Team last year. Middle blocker Majoy Baron continues improve, a scary thought since she was last season’s MVP. At both open hitter slots, La Salle has all-around talent in Desiree Cheng and Tin Tiamzon.
Macandili, Dy, and Baron are all playing in the final year of eligibility. Past batches of Lady Spikers have all won at least three titles. This trio remains hungry for a rare three-peat.
“For me, every season, back to zero lahat.
“Kasi ‘yung past season, parang motivation na lang ‘yun para kung ano man ang ide-defend namin, sige, defend. Pero ibang composition ‘yung team. Si Mich (Cobb) na ‘yung magse-set. So for me, back to zero nga, and ibang team ito,” Baron explained.
“I can say naman na mataas ang kumpyansa ko, knowing that my teammates are there, my coaches are there to support us no matter what. So parang tiwalang-tiwala talaga ako sa team ko na malayo ang mararating namin,” added Macandili.
“Now that we’re the seniors, siyempre kailangan kami ‘yung lesders inside the court, we have to be the last one to give up, siguro. And also, siyempre kasama namin, may mga bata. So we have to motivate them, help them adjust. Siyempre may bagong setter kami, si Cobb. Together naman kaming tatlo, together namin hina-handle ‘yung team,” Dy furthered.
Personnel-wise, La Salle looks like they didn’t miss a beat, especially compared to their contemporaries. Every other UAAP seemed to scramble in the offseason. The Lady Spikers, meanwhile, stayed put and were lucky enough to not be part of the controversy bug that struck their rivals.
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For this preview, Ramil De Jesus was not available for comment. This is par for the course for the meek mentor who barely ever wants to talk about the Lady Spikers in the off-season. De Jesus didn’t get into coaching win over the media or fans. He got into this to win championships.
And, besides, De Jesus might just end up saying he is always about preparing for the UAAP.
“Lahat naman nadadaan sa training. Kailangan mapadaan mo ‘yung players talaga sa hard work. Wala namang ibang paraan para manalo sa volleyball,” De Jesus said during a postgame interview during Season 78.
Barely anyone can disagree with De Jesus’ method, probably because not everyone is a future 11-time UAAP champion.
