Coach’s bond with players major key to F2’s success

The victorious Cargo Movers whoop it up after nailing the final point and disposing of the game Blaze Spikers in four sets. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus weaved his old magic from the sidelines as the Cargo Movers pulled off a sweep of the Petron Blaze Spikers in the Philippine Superliga Invitational championship series on Saturday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

But for all his tactical brilliance and his ability to motivate players to rise to the challenge, the 11-time UAAP champion coach’s strong bond with his wards counts significantly on his team’s success.

Take Ara Galang’s case as an example. Before she bagged Finals Most Valuable Players honors, the former La Salle star was ready to quit the sport altogether after battling knee injuries the past two years.

But De Jesus managed to convince Galang to give volleyball another try. In this tournament, Galang reclaimed her status as one of the country’s best spikers.

“I was ready to quit because I was drained physically and mentally,” said Galang. “Coach convinced me to continue playing.”

“I told her to continue working hard,” said De Jesus. “I’m proud of what she has accomplished. You rarely find a player with her talent and ability.”

Against a gritty Petron squad, Galang delivered critical hits to keep the Blaze Spikers at bay. De Jesus’ ability to squeeze the best out of his star-studded team also proved key in F2’s run to a third PSL title.

It was sweet revenge for the Cargo Movers, who got redemption from a heart-breaking setback in their title duel in the Grand Prix earlier this year.

De Jesus noted that familiarity with his wards like former Lady Spikers Galang, Aby Maraño, Kim Fajardo, Dawn Macandili, Majoy Baron and Kianna Dy is a major advantage to their campaign this conference.

“I push them to their limits,” said De Jesus after their 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18 win in Game 2. “I remind them when their performance is declining. I don’t want their levels to go down.”