AFTER successfully guiding the Pampanga Giant Lanterns to their second straight MPBL crown, Dennis 'Delta' Pineda, also the concurrent governor of Pampanga, will take over as coach of Converge in the PBA.
His takeover will likely take place after the election as the 50-year-old son of Bong and Lilia Pineda will devote his time in the next few months campaigning ahead of the May election.
No less than Converge team governor Archen Cayabyab confirmed the impending new role of Pineda to SPIN.ph.
“Siya ang magko-coach pagkatapos ng eleksyon,” said Cayabyab.
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“Kapag hindi na busy, after the elections. Nag-uusap pa kami kung paano ang mangyayari," said Cayabyab.
However, he hinted that the governor may just jump into the PBA fray sooner.
"Malay mo, biglaan (mag-coach na), hindi pa natin sure. Pero magko-coach siya for sure,” said Cayabyab of Pienda, who currently holds the official PBA role as the assistant team manager of the FiberXers.
Pineda himself hinted about his possible expanded role with Converge when he was interviewed by the MPBL broadcast team after the Giant Lanterns completed a sweep of Quezon Huskers in the national finals last Saturday.
“Etong history na nakuha namin na ito, habang buhay ko na po itong dadalhin sa akin,” said Pineda. “Lumipat man ho ako ng other league, hindi ko makakalimutan ang MPBL sa experience na nakuha ko po rito.”
Currently, Converge is being handled by Franco Atienza, who was appointed as acting coach last August, replacing Aldin Ayo.
Others in the Converge bench are Charles Tiu, who is assistant coach, and Rajko Toroman, who is team consultant, a role he also concurrently holds with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns and College of Saint Benilde in the NCAA.
Pineda has proven to be adept in his role as Pampanga coach. During games, he could be seen drawing up plays, speaking to the team during timeouts, and barking instructions from the sidelines.
Coaching is not new to Pineda who was very active in the Pampanga Delta team during its past participation in the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) and the National Basketball League-Pilipinas where he also won championships.
Pineda is largely credited for discovering some of Pampanga’s top basketball talents, including Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang, and MPBL MVP Justine Baltazar, who is set to join Converge in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup soon.
Baltazar was the no. 1 overall pick in this year's PBA Rookie Draft.
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