ALDIN Ayo has parted ways with Converge, the team announced on Thursday just three weeks to go before the opening of the PBA's 49th season.
Converge management said Franco Atienza is taking over the spot in an acting capacity after lead assistant and longtime Ayo deputy McJour Luib also left the club.
“It was a mutually agreed decision for both parties to part ways,” said Converge team manager Jacob Lao.
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“We are thankful for their dedicated service to the team for almost two years.”
The split comes as a surprise for fans who still saw Ayo call the shots for the FiberXers just last weekend during the Kadayawan pocket tournament in Davao.
The FiberXers lost three games and won one in the tournament, including one to Ayo's former college team La Salle.
However, rumors of an impending coaching change at Converge have been rife in league circles as the company which bought Alaska's successful PBA team navigated the complicated league hierarchy.
An NCAA and UAAP champion with Letran and De La Salle respectively, Ayo took over Converge prior to the start of the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup, the team reaching the quarterfinals in his first two conferences.
Ayo struggled in his first full year with Converge, collecting a 3-19 win-loss record during the 2023-24 PBA season amid accusations of tanking for the No. 1 pick in the following season's draft.
But Ayo and Converge looked headed for a turnaround after using the No. 1 pick in the Season 49 Draft to pick up reigning MPBL MVP Justine Baltazar.
Baltazar, however, will still finish his contractual obligations with Pampanga Giant Lanterns in the MPBL.
Atienza temporarily takes over Converge after being an assistant coach in the PBA for 13 years, dating back to when the franchise was still owned by Alaska.
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