AFTER a rare title-less campaign, three teams under the Manny V. Pangilinan bloc in the PBA are set to embark on a major reorganization that would see the coaches of Talk 'N Text, Meralco, and new ballclub NLEX either trading places or leaving, a source told Spin.ph on Tuesday.
The coaching shuffle, the source said, should affect Talk 'N Text coach Norman Black and Meralco's Ryan Gregorio and their respective staff, as well as NLEX, which is expected to retain the coaches of its D-League team led by Boyet Fernandez after acquiring Air21's PBA franchise.
The source refused to divulge the details of the movement, but said an announcement is expected to come before the week is over.
Certain to be moved are Black and Gregorio, while multi-titled coach Jong Uichico and Ronnie Magsanoc may yet play bigger roles after the shake-up.
Black is one of the most successful coaches in PBA history with 11 league titles and won five successive championships with Pangilinan-backed Ateneo in the UAAP prior to moving to Talk 'N Text and leading the team to the all-Filipino title.
However, this season marked the first time in four years that Talk 'N Text failed to win a championship.
On the other hand, Meralco has not made the finals, much less win a championship, in its four seasons under Gregorio since it acquired the PBA franchise of Sta. Lucia Realty.
Uichico, who won eight championships with San Miguel Beer and Ginebra before moving to the MVP group, is currently an assistant of Black at Talk 'N Text while Magsanoc won a championship with San Beda in the NCAA while serving as Gregorio's assistant at Meralco.
Fernandez led NLEX to six championships in the PBA D-League, but his concurrent role as head coach of reigning NCAA champion San Beda stand in the way of his return to the PBA where he has won a championship with the defunct Sta. Lucia ballclub.
The source said top officials of the three top companies under the MVP umbrella have been asked to give inputs prior to the shake-up, which mirrors a move done by the three teams of rival San Miguel Beer last year.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
