PBA: Bonnie Tan named NorthPort coach, replacing Pido Jarencio

Bonnie Tan is the new NorthPort head coach. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–Three-time NCAA champion coach Bonnie Tan will now call the shots for NorthPort in the PBA Governors’ Cup which starts later this month.

Sources confirmed multiple reports of Tan’s appointment after serving the last few seasons as Batang Pier’s team manager.

But Tan clarified that nothing’s set in stone, though one person familiar with the situation said he and team governor Erick Arejola are scheduled to meet on Friday.

“There’s no formal appointment yet,” he said. “I’m still the team manager of NorthPort and I’m still the head coach of Letran.”

Tan takes over from long-time mentor Pido Jarencio, who has handled NorthPort in his second stint since the 2017-18 season.

During that stretch, NorthPort made the semis only once back in the 2019 Governors’ Cup.

The Batang Pier have been busy since being eliminated by Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals of the Commissioner’s Cup, recently acquiring Joshua Munzon from Terrafirma and Paul Zamar from San Miguel Beer in separate trades.

The NorthPort gig will be Tan’s first after guiding Letran to a three-peat since his entry into the NCAA scene in 2019.

But Tan also coached the Batang Pier on an interim basis in the 2021 Philippine Cup, winning all three games after Jarencio was placed under COVID-19 protocols.