LOOK who’s making a PBA coaching comeback.
After almost a year being away, Johnedel Cardel returns to the sidelines and will be the one to call the shots for Pureblends Corp. once it officially takes over the NorthPort franchise.
The 55-year-old former Terrafirma mentor has been handling the practices of the Batang Pier, as they gear up for the coming Season 50, SPIN.ph learned from sources.
This marks the return of Cardel to coaching after parting ways with the Dyip last season when the team tumbled in the Governors’ Cup following a rare quarterfinals appearance the previous year during the Philippine Cup.
Juniors champion coach Raymond Valenzona acts as Cardel’s top deputy.
The ties that bind in Pureblends
Cardel’s entry came amid perceptions that Bonnie Tan will retain his post as coach of Pureblends when its purchase of the NorthPort team lock, stock, and barrel finally becomes official.
READ: Pureblends almost in as PBA grapples with team departures
Tan, instead, is being groomed for a higher position within the new ball club owned by Bryann Calantoc, a former player of Tan himself.
Calantoc also happens to be a close friend of Cardel, as per SPIN.ph sources.
Adrianne Anglim is the incoming team manager, who has began supervising the players' signings of Pureblends Corp.
Incidentally, Cardel briefly acted as interim coach of Northport when it was still carrying the name Globalport in 2016.
That paved the way for him to become head coach of Terrafirma two years later, replacing the late Ricky Dandan.
Cardel however, struggled to keep the Dyip competitive amid management's decision to trade away top draft picks and star players, from Christian Standhardinger, CJ Perez, Joshua Munzon, Jackson Corpuz, Jordan KG Canaleta, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Heading, Isaac Go, Glenn Khobuntin, Juami Tiongson, Javi Gomez De Liano, Andreas Cahilig, to Kevin Ferrer, among others.
In his six seasons at the helm of Terrafirma, the former De La Salle star only managed to steer the team led by Holt and Tiongson to the playoffs during the Season 48 Philippine Cup, eventually losing to San Miguel in their knockout game for a semifinals berth.
Cardel compiled a win-loss record of 32-114.
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