De Brito, man tasked to turn PH volley around, gets to work

Jorge Edson Souza de Brito —PNVF PHOTO

The national women’s volleyball team’s transformation finally gets to start, with its chief architect finally arriving from Brazil.

Jorge Edson Souza de Brito planed in late Wednesday to start his two-year tenure—under the FIVB’s (International Volleyball Federation) program to help under-performing national squads—and reconstruct Team Philippines from a glamour team to a champion squad.

But due to health protocols, De Brito will have to complete his quarantine until July 31 before he can join the national team which recently encamped in a training bubble in Ilocos Norte province.

“I can’t wait to start,” De Brito, Olympic champion player and coach, told the Inquirer several days before leaving Brazil.

“To do good, to make change, I need to understand. I want to know the people, the culture. I need to study them and ask them why they play volleyball,” he said. “I will try to see it (my job as coach) as a player.”

He is set to work with interim head coach Odjie Mamon, the former University of Santo Tomas mentor. He will join the team in its training camp in Batangas province starting Friday.And their first assignment is to make sure Team Philippines books a decent finish in the 21st Asian Senior Women’s Championships which the country is hosting starting Aug. 29.The Philippines is bracketed in Pool A with tough nations like Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan.

Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said the country’s performance in the Asians should provide a glimpse of the national team’s future.

“We have put in young players who will work with several veterans. And now our Brazilian coach is here so we expect change for the better,” said Suzara. INQ