Altamirano to handle Flying V 5

MANILA, Philippines -  After spending six years in the collegiate league, Eric Altamirano moves back to the commercial ranks as he’s set to call the shots for the new team, Flying V Thunder, in the PBA D-League’s next conference.

“It’s a new challenge for me,” the former National U mentor said yesterday when he joined Flying V team manager Joey Guillermo in announcing the Thunder’s stint in the D-League Foundation Cup.

Altamirano had previously coached NU-BDO in the D-League but this will be his first with a corporate club team.

“Coaching in the D-League is very different from the UAAP. It’s something that will also help me grow as a coach. I’ve coached in the collegiate ranks for six years and this is something new to me. Hopefully, we’ll get good results,” said Altamirano, who has tapped Joey Guanio, Vic Ycasiano and Anton Altamirano as assistants and Paolo Rivero as strength and conditioning coach.

Guillermo said they expect Altamirano to bring in the winning attitude that served him well when he steered his former teams Purefoods and Mobiline to the PBA championship and helped the Bulldogs snapped a decades-long drought in the UAAP.

“Coach Eric has a good pedigree,” said Guillermo. “The direction of management is to put up not just any team but a competitive team in our maiden participation and we’re confident he can help us achieve this.”

The two, however, declined to reveal players they are currently courting.

“We’re looking at some players but everything’s up in the air as of now,” said Altamirano.

He said he took the job because of management’s grassroots thrust, which he explained was “in synergy with what I’m doing in the grassroots.”