JAMIKE Jarin has been named the head coach of Lyceum, the school announced on Friday.
Jarin replaces Gilbert Malabanan as the Pirates’ shot-caller after five seasons which resulted into three Final Four appearances, but none of the breakthrough they had during the time of coach Topex Robinson and CJ Perez when they made it all the way to the FInals.
"After a long deliberation, our president, Atty. Bobby Laurel, chose Coach Jamike as the Pirates' new head coach because he represents the values of the school, which are excellence, integrity, and service," Lyceum athletic director Dr. Allan Layco said.
"Through his career in basketball, he not only won championships, he did so the right way while developing not just players who excelled on the court, but also as individuals off of it."
Battle-tested Jamike Out To Right The Ship
Jarin returns to the NCAA for the first time since 2016 when he led San Beda to a men’s basketball title in Season 92.
He spent two years with the most dominant men's basketball team in the NCAA where he had a 32-12 record all in all.
He made the finals in his first season but fell victim into one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history when that powerhouse Red Lions squad bannered by Baser Amer, Ola Adeogon and Art dela Cruz got shocked by Aldin Ayo's 'Mayhem' Letran squad.
He more than made up for it the next year after steering the Red Lions back to the promised land even with the departure of the aforementioned trio.
The fiery head coach did that by turning Robert Bolick and JVee Mocon into legitimate NCAA superstars, while getting the most out of the likes of Donald Tankoua, Nunu Noah, Davon Potts and AC Soberano to turn back Jio Jalalon and the Arellano Chiefs in the NCAA Season 92 finals.
He didn't have such luck in the UAAP after spending three seasons with the National University Bulldogs, missing the semifinals in all of those years before being eventually replaced in the pandemic.
He returned to coaching in the PBA through Phoenix as he replaced Topex Robinson as an interim head coach before the 2023 Governors Cup, steering the Fuel Masters to a quarterfinals finish in his first conference as head coach.
His best achievement would come a conference later when he led the Fuel Masters all the way to the semifinals before losing to the Magnolia Hotshots in four games.
It will be the last time the franchise made the playoffs.
Jarin relinquished the head coaching position before the start of the PBA Season 50 to his assistant in Willy Wilson, while staying on as consultant. He finished his run as Phoenix head coach with a 26-47 record and two playoff appearances.
Both Wilson and Jarin would part ways with the franchise after the 2025-26 PBA Philippine Cup.
“Siyempre, first, I’m very grateful to the Lyceum community, and especially to President Atty. RPL (Robert P. Laurel), our athletic director Sir Allan, and Sir Randy (Sacdalan), for allowing me to be part of their institution and university. It’s a great honor,” Jarin said.
“It’s been 10 years since the last time I was in the NCAA. I’m excited to be back coaching in college and mentoring these young men again. Coaching never stops, and learning never stops," he added.
"I’ve been blessed to coach for this long. We’re coming in with a lot of new ideas and fresh approaches. In my heart of hearts, we’ll be coming in with a different mindset.”
Larga, Pirata
He'll be handling a Pirates squad on a rebuild after the departure of veterans Ato Barba, Gyle Montano, Joshua Moralejo and JM Versoza.
The 55-year-old will be leaning on the remnants of Malabanan's team in spitfire guard Renz Villegas and shooter Jonathan Daileg while also priming up for the return of former Junior Pirates star Matthew Rubico who returns to Intramuros after spending a year with La Salle.
“As of now, to be honest, I’ve been focused on Phoenix for the past five years. I know they lost a few players, but I’m excited about what they have right now,” Jarin said.
“We need to prioritize the players we have on the team now, and decisions have to be made quickly. The days will be long, but the years go by faster. That’s how you build a program," he continued.
"We have to focus on what we have right now, and those are the things we need to pay attention to."
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