Maroons fighting over coaching position

The fight for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons coaching job could well become intense in the next few weeks with coach Ryan Gregorio announcing his decision to step down from his post yesterday.

Gregorio relayed his decision to Dean Gilda Uy of the UP College of Human Kinetics in a phone conversation no more than 24 hours after accepting his award as co-winner of the Coach of the Year honors from the PBA Press Corps Saturday night at the Bayview Park Hotel.

The young mentor told The STAR he’ll submit his resignation letter today.

There were reports that a number of coaches have already applied for the job, including former Maroons Jojo Villa and Ricky Dandan.

Gregorio said he will recommend another former Maroon Lito Vergara, who steered the UPIS Preps to their first ever UAAP championship last season.

A STAR source noted there are three groups trying to seize control of the UP basketball program. One is associated with coach Joe Lipa, another with coach Nic Jorge and the third one with coach Eric Altamirano.

"I have signified my intention to step down before my contract expires Feb. 28 to give my replacement enough time to make his own plan and preparation (for the 2003 UAAP campaign)," said Gregorio.

"I’m leaving with a heavy heart because I love coaching UP. I can’t do it anymore because of the present circumstances. I can’t serve both my college team and my PBA team," added the Purefoods assistant coach.

Gregorio made history in the PBA by steering the Purefoods Hotdogs to the 2002 Governors Cup championship while calling the shots for the team on an interim basis with head coach Altamirano on loan to the national team.

He said his regret in leaving UP with an unfinished mission – also steering the Maroons to the UAAP championship.

When he assumed the coaching job at UP in 2002, taking over from Altamirano, Gregorio said he laid out a three-year program geared towards winning the championship last year.

But he wasn’t able to fully execute the plan as he was tapped to handle Purefoods in the first two conferences of the PBA last year while Altamirano was with the RP squad. His brother Allan called the shots last year and the Maroons made no improvement from their showing in 2001, missing the UAAP Final Four.

The departure of key player Rob Bornancin, who accepted a scholarship grant at UCLA to play volleyball, also affected the Maroons’ campaign. — Nelson Beltran