REVIVING the long-lost winning tradition of the University of the East (UE) is the ultimate goal for new head coach Chris Gavina.
But that will not be a walk in the park as Mr. Gavina, a former PBA mentor, sets out a realistic mission in his collegiate debut starting with a Final Four appearance first in the UAAP Season 88 firing off on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
“The ultimate goal doesn’t change. Of course, we want to put ourselves in the conversation of being in the Final Four. That’s what we’ve been working hard for,” Mr. Gavina, who replaced Jack Santiago last February, told The STAR as he braces for an entirely different landscape from his grizzled stint in professional leagues.
Mr. Gavina, 46, is one of the most respected up-and-coming coaches here and abroad, having mentored Mahindra (KIA) and Rain or Shine in the PBA and the Taichung Suns in Taiwan’s T1 League as the first Filipino mentor there.
The amiable tactician also steered the Taiwan Mustangs to the Leg 4 championship of The Asian Tournament last year, when the squad helped Gilas Pilipinas in tune-up games for the Paris Olympic qualifiers that resulted in a historic win against world No. 6 Latvia.
Coaching kids and aspirants in the UAAP, however, will be a lot different endeavor he’s more than willing to embrace -— all for the mission of ending UE’s 16-year Final Four drought.
“Expectation-wise, it’s like everybody else and that’s trying to get the best out of the individuals to become leaders. That’s my goal going in. It’s more on creating a sustainable winning culture at UE first and our players buying into that culture,” added Mr. Gavina.
“Going from pro to college is all about dealing with the experience and maturity of collegiate players. Here, you’re still molding and teaching them habits and routines they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. That’s the biggest difference.”
UE last year came so close to snapping its semis dry spell, racing to a 5-2 start before settling for fifth place but will have an intact core led by Precious Momowei, Wello Lingolingo, John Abate and Nico Mulingtapang to give it a shot once more.
But more than the capable players and bevy of recruits, Mr. Gavina also brought it a solid staff led by his long-time deputy RJ Argamino alongside former PBAers and UE alumni KG Canaleta and Paolo Hubalde heading into their debut against National University.
Alex Cabagnot will serve as UE’s head of basketball operations. — John Bryan Ulanday