CHICAGO - A dozen years after his last foray in the PBA, Rajko Toroman is making a triumphant return.
After the stunning departure of coach Aldin Ayo on Thursday, multiple sources told SPIN.ph that Toroman will assume the role as active consultant at Converge beginning in the upcoming Governor's Cup.
Franco Ateinza will sit as head coach.
READ Converge is spoiled for choice on next coach
The active consultant-head coach set-up is of course nothing new in the PBA.
The MVP Group dit it at TNT with the 2018 tandem of Mark Dickel and Bong Ravena. This past Philippine Cup conference, Meralco turned the set-up into a winning formula with the combined magic of Nenad Vucinic and Luigi Trillo.
Converge is hoping to make the same successful connection.
AGING LIKE FINE WINE.
The colorful Serbian, an ageless wonder at 69, first worked in the PBA in 2012 as an active consultant for Petron Blaze. The former Gilas coach also held the same position at Barako Bull in 2013.
What followed next was a wonderfully nomadic journey of spreading the gospel of basketball in Jordan, China, Bahrain, and most recently, in Indonesia from 2019 to 2022.
Last August, the FIBA champion coach came back to the Philippines as consultant at Converge and the College of St. Benilde where Charles Tiu, his former Gilas assistant, is making waves as head coach.
Tiu, who is also the head coach for powerhouse Strong Group Athletics (SGA) celebrated his reunion with Toroman with a bridesmaid finish at a prestigious Dubai tournament last January before winning all the marbles at the 43rd Jones Cup last month.
Per sources, Tiu was the original choice to lead Converge, but NCAA and PBA rules prohibit coaches from taking on another head-coaching job.
With Australian national team head coach Brian Goorjan also serving as a former consultant, the wealth and depth of coaching talents that billionaire Frank Lao has amassed at SGA and Converge is mesmerizing.
Other than subbing for Ayo for a game in the PBA On Tour last June, Atienza has no prior experience as PBA head coach. He did serve as one of the assistants of the now-defunct Alaska franchise.
HAPPY DIVORCE.
With Tormoan guiding him, Franco is about to enter a coaching institution for higher learning.
Meanwhile, whatever is next for the charismatic Ayo remains up in the air.
Just to be clear, as first reported by the inimitable Snow Badua, there was no trace of animosity in the break-up between Ayo and the FiberXers. It was an amicable separation.
Given his lofty credentials and deep connections in the basketball community, the 46-year old tactician has a plethora of options.
Though unlikely, the three-term councilor of Sorsogon can dabble in politics again. He possesses both the popularity and smarts (degree in philosophy) to be extremely electable for higher office.
Ayo can also choose to return to the college ranks, the playground he used to trampoline himself to superstardom by winning championships at both the NCAA (Letran 2015) and the UAAP (LaSalle 2016).
Whatever their next chapters may be, both Ayo and the FiberXers seemed destined for happy endings.
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