Pressure, responsibility part of it all, says Sto. Tomas     

Petro Gazz is hoping to have more celebratory moments under its new coach. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Timothy Sto. Tomas has been blessed with the opportunity to continue the winning ways of Petro Gazz as its new head coach in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

But he knows that his appointment is not all razzle-dazzle—it comes with a certain amount of responsibility.

“I was very thankful because I get to teach, coach and at the same time I get to learn from players who are veterans and who play smart,” said Sto. Tomas, who was recently appointed as head tactician for the Angels. “Any coach would be very blessed to have players like that.”

“But at the same time it’s also a responsibility because Petro Gazz has been winning for the past conferences, they’ve won championships so it’s also a responsibility to continue that winning culture,” Sto. Tomas told the Inquirer.

The former Ateneo stalwart was an assistant coach for Petro Gazz before he was appointed by his mentor, Oliver Almadro, who was promoted head of volleyball operations of the franchise.

Last title

Petro Gazz last won a championship in the 2022 Reinforced Conference under now PLDT High Speed Hitters coach Rald Ricafort before Almadro took the reins for the Angels and immediately leading the Angels to an “unexpected” finals appearance in March.

But Petro Gazz flunked the 13-team Invitational Conference in July, finishing in ninth place, something that the Ateneo men’s volleyball team coach hopes to improve in the coming All-Filipino Conference.

During the offseason, Petro Gazz has been making adjustments not only on the coaches but also on their roster, a welcome development for the new coach as they lost one of their main guns in MJ Phillips, who is currently with the Gwangju AI Peppers as the lone Filipino drafted in South Korea’s V-League. INQ