Yee staying with Lady Maroons for now

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Jerry Yee clarified Wednesday he’s still the head coach of the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons after his supposed departure from the team last week.

A talk with Assoc. Prof. Ronualdo Dizer, Dean of the UP College of Human Kinetics, persuaded Yee to stay with the Lady Maroons until the school decides to find a replacement.

“I wanted to [leave the team] but Dean wouldn’t let me, so the decision’s up to them,” said Yee after their game against BanKo Perlas in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre.

“The job’s been so stressful, there are issues beyond our control, so I was really tired,” said Yee in Filipino. “I wanted to leave, then I got a call from Dean and I talked to the players so I decided that I will stay for one more year. I’m not that difficult to talk to.”

In a Facebook post last Saturday, Yee said he was “calling it quits” after four seasons but the post has since been deleted.

Yee steered the Lady Maroons to a Final Four entry in Season 78 of the UAAP where they finished with an 8-6 record but fell to eventual champions De La Salle University in the semifinals.

The Lady Maroons were then poised to duplicate their Cinderella run in Season 79 going 4-0 in their first four games but they failed to sustain their momentum losing four straight after the unblemished start.

Yee said he hopes to lead UP to a better outing in Season 80 as they look to improve from their 7-7 record.

“I’m working with the team, we’re trying to focus, and hopefully we play better in the UAAP, return to the top four or a podium finish if possible,” said Yee.

Still, Yee didn’t rule out a sudden exit if UP finds a capable replacement.

“Whatever happens, I’m willing to give way if they find someone whom they want to replace me with.”