INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—Air21 will continue to address its lack of crowd support by resuming its campaign to hire former senator Robert Jaworski, who is credited for drawing Barangay Ginebra’s legion of fans in the PBA.

This, even as the Express management turned down five days ago coach Bo Perasol’s offer to resign so he could concentrate on the family business and finish his masters studies.

A source said Perasol, who is enrolled at the Ateneo de Manila University for his MBA degree, and whose wife has a school, told team owner Bert Lina and team manager Lito Alvarez during a meeting that “coaching does not give me the fulfillment I want in life.”

Perasol’s decision to resign, according to the source, would have been the same had the Express upset Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-seven Finals for the Fiesta Cup.

“He (Perasol) wanted to resign to give management a free hand to find a replacement this early, especially since the team really wants (former) Sen. Jaworski,” the source said.

Jaworski, said the source, would have boosted the Express’ popularity with fans, especially after seeing the horde of Ginebra fanatics during the Fiesta Cup series.

After Toyota disbanded in the early 1980s, Jaworski moved to Gilbey’s Gin as player-coach and turned the team, which later became Ginebra San Miguel, into a crowd favorite for of its never-say-die stand.

Perasol almost posted the upset of the decade in the Fiesta Cup, steering the Express to the top after the eliminations before taking a 3-2 lead in the franchise’s first title series appearance after six years in the league.

“It has nothing to do with money,” the source said of Perasol’s decision to resign.

Perasol is a company executive at Air21 and earns very little as an added compensation for coaching the Express.

He was named, from out of nowhere in 2005, to take over from Bong Ramos and implement the company policy of playing all the team’s players each game. Air21 is the only team in the 33-year history of the league to adopt such a move.

Perasol has skipped the team’s last three practice sessions, leaving the reins to deputy Leo Isaac. The Express are said to be open to player trades, except their mainstays.

Arwind Santos, recently named by the PBA Press Corps as its Defensive Player of the Year, Wynne Arboleda, former Most Improved Player Gary David and a couple of others make up the Air21 nucleus.

The 34th Season opens on Oct. 4 with the Philippine Cup, where Sta. Lucia Realty is the defending champion.