WILL Jeff Cariaso be the next coach of Barangay Ginebra?
Possibly, says a source.
Word has reached Spin.ph on Thursday that Cariaso, a former player of multi-titled Tim Cone and now his chief understudy at San Mig, has been offered the Ginebra coaching job after the team's disappointing finish in the PBA Commissioner's Cup under Juno Sauler and Ato Agustin.
According to the source, the offer was made to Cariaso on Wednesday and negotiations are underway for his move to Ginebra from sister team San Mig.
"Nag-usap na sila kahapon. Negosasyon pa lang 'yan, pero mukhang siya talaga ang ina-eye," said the source. "Sa ngayon, wala pang formal deal kasi nag-uusap pa sa kontrata and all."
Spin.ph tried to contact the 15-year PBA veteran, but he has yet to respond to calls and text messages.
Team insiders said Cariaso already has the blessings of Cone, who coached the Fil-American guard during the glory years of the Alaska franchise and later took him in as one of his deputies when he moved to San Mig three years ago.
The news came at a time when Ginebra fans are salivating over the prospect of PBA legend Robert Jaworski returning to a team he helped turn into the most popular in the league behind the never-say-die spirit his teams personified in the eighties and early nineties.
Sources said the Ginebra offer to Jaworski has been on the table for a while now but there has been no movement in the negotiations since.
Another source said Jaworski, 68, is still in the US.
As it is, Sauler, who acted as 'active assistant' during Ginebra's failed campaign in the Commissioner's Cup, is already out of the running since he is set to focus on De La Salle's varsity squad, which he led to a UAAP championship last season.
If ever, it would be no surprise that the next Ginebra coach would come from San Mig, clearly the most successful among the three teams under the SMC umbrella.
While San Mig has won the last two league championships, Ginebra's title drought has now spanned six years while San Miguel has not won a title since the 2009 First Conference.