Lipa excited over new job as FedEx coach

Joe Lipa is making yet another comeback in the Philippine Basketball Association as head coach of the FedEx Express.

Air21 president Lito Alvarez, who is also the FedEx team manager and representative to the PBA board, convinced Lipa to assume the head coaching job in the team in a one-on-one meeting Thursday night, hours after coach Boni Garcia made a surprise resignation.

Lipa, the multi-titled current mentor of the RP junior men’s team who had called the shots for Manila Beer and Shell in the PBA, sits on the FedEx bench for the first time tomorrow as the Express take on the Alaska Aces at the Araneta Coliseum.

"At first coach Joe had reservations pero pinakiusapan ko dahil nandiyan na rin naman siya. Nae-excite na rin naman siya sa team kaya sana lubos-lubosin na niya," said Alvarez of Lipa who was FedEx’s coaching consultant before his appointment as head coach.

"Ang problema kasi ni coach Joe ay coach din siya ng RP junior men’s team. Pero napakiusapan ko siya na i-adjust na lang niya ang schedule ng practice ng FedEx at RP team to accommodate both jobs," Alvarez added.

Alvarez said he has talked to Basketball Association of the Philippines secretary-general Graham Lim who allowed Lipa to coach FedEx as long as he would still be able to attend to his duties with the RP junior men’s team who is to play in the SEABA competition in June.

Alvarez said he’ll also inform PBA commissioner Noli Eala of the new development in the team. He sees no conflict on the appointment of Lipa since his other job is with the national team and not another team in another private league.

"Wala naman sigurong problema dahil gusto nga ng PBA tumulong sa national team," said Alvarez,

FedEx got a deal with Lipa for the rest of the Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference. "We’ll make a decision after the tournament," said Alvarez on whether Lipa would be given a longer tenure.

Air21 top bosses thought they have further patterned their PBA ballclub with the FedEx-partly owned Memphis Grizzlies squad in the NBA on their recruitment of Lipa.

"Lalo kaming naging parang Memphis dahil kami rin ang may pinakamatandang coach sa PBA ngayon. Maganda nito pareho ang pilosopiya ni coach Joe Lipa at (the 71-year-old Memphis coach) Hubie Brown. Sabi ni coach Joe, idol niya rin si Brown," said Alvarez.

Meanwhile Boni Garcia swore he had no personal quarrel with his players and just thought the team wasn’t responding on his call that’s why he decided to quit as coach of the FedEx Express.

"What’s the use? Kung on and off ang pagsunod ng team sa gusto kong laro, eh di wala na akong silbi. So I made the ultimate sacrifice for good of the team which is so dear to me," Garcia told The STAR on his surprise resignation.

"Tingin ko maganda ang team. I have 2-1 (win-loss) record with (import Mike) Maddox at tingin ko may laban talaga ang team (in the Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference). Baka makatulong yung sacrifice ko," Garcia added.

The former Feati University star guard, who went undefeated for two seasons while calling the shots for MLQU in CUSA, said he mentioned to his players his intention to step down in one practice session.

"I told them to just give me a couple of good games and I’ll leave them. At least I proved to my players may ‘b–g’ ako," said Garcia.

Garcia said he became frustrated because he wanted FedEx to be a running and gunning team but his team wasn’t responding on his call on a consistent basis.

"Ngayong pre-press ng husto at tatakbo, pero sa susunod babalok sa deliberate game. Ang gusto ko fastbreaking team, eh tingnan mo sa stats No. 9 kami sa fastbreak," he rued.

Offered of a top management level job instead by FedEx, Garcia said he’ll take t least a two-to-three-week rest before deciding whether to take it or not.

"I’m thankful to the FedEx management for their full support. Sa kanila ako nagsimula sa MBA at hanggang ngayon inaalagaan nila ako. Actually, sabi nila sa akin long-term ang commitment nila sa akin," said Garcia.