Crossovers ready to play amid all manpower issues

Chery Tiggo’s Eya Laure.–PVL PHOTO

Amid the issues and departures surrounding Chery Tiggo, newly appointed head coach Norman Miguel will be the glue that will hold together the pieces of what’s left of the Crossovers.

“We know that what happened was really abrupt, of course it’s heartbreaking since I just came here,” Miguel said with a mix of Filipino as the new Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season opens on Saturday. “I was really expecting that the lineup was still intact, but there are really things that we’re not in control of.”

The champion coach, who will be succeeding now-assistant coach KungFu Reyes, was referring to the departures of libero Buding Duremdes, EJ Laure and the controversial exit of her sister Eya, the biggest one of them since there’s still no solution to the impasse with the season about to start.

“Our status right now with Eya Laure is still under negotiation. Hopefully we could actually resolve this amicably,” team manager Aaron Velez said. “Of course, we are also looking after the welfare of Eya and hopefully we can resolve this and both parties can meet halfway.”

Reports of Eya parting ways with her first pro team came out weeks before the new conference and a few months after her stint with Alas Pilipinas, which bagged two historic bronze medals in international competitions.

Velez remained mum on the specific details of the fallout, citing a nondisclosure agreement, but there are talks about Eya’s contract having a noncompete clause and disagreements about the financial side of things, especially in her absence in the previous Reinforced Conference—because of national team duties—where the Crossovers landed just outside the final four.

With the noncompete clause, Eya could miss playing this season unless a buyout from an interested team takes place before they sign her. If that happens, league control committee chair Sherwin Malonzo said the outside hitter can still play in the All-Filipino Conference as long as she is not listed officially listed in the Chery Tiggo.

“I can’t really say that it is mutual because in any breakup, it will really undergo a difficult process,” Velez said. “But hopefully, we can finally resolve it in the right way.”

Miguel still has some firepower left at his disposal with veterans Aby Maraño, Mylene Paat, Cza Carandang and Ara Galang left.

“Since what happened, we need to move on,” Miguel, the UAAP Season 86 champion coach of National University, said. INQ