LONGTIME MVP Group official Virgil Villavicencio was named team manager of NLEX and will now be tasked to oversee day-to-day operations for the Road Warriors.
His appointment came a week after the franchise announced Jong Uichico as its new head coach.
READ: Jong Uichico returns to PBA hot seat replacing Frankie Lim at NLEX
Villavicencio will take the place of former player Larry Fonacier who will remain with the organization in a different capacity.
NLEX President and GM J Luigi Bautista and team governor Ronald Dulatre welcomed Villavicencio during the official contract signing on Saturday.
"Coach Virgil's acumen in running a team and his good relationship with the media will benefit our team moving forward. His management experience and valuable insights will further strengthen the way we run the team," said Bautista in a statement.
From TNT to NLEX
Villavicencio was the longtime team manager of TNT Tropang Giga from 2005 to mid-2010, and then from 2015-2019. He is currently part of the communications team of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
His involvement with basketball goes a long way back, starting with his time suiting up for La Salle when it was still playing in the NCAA. After winning the 1974 title with the Green Archers, he saw action in the defunct Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA).
He later branched into coaching with the Ateneo Blue Eaglets then back to La Salle. He also served as national coach of the 1995 Philippine Youth team and was part of the Triple V staff in the since-shuttered Philippine Basketball League.
He eventually moved on to TNT as part of its coaching staff that won the franchise's first-ever PBA championship in the 2003 Philippine Cup. Villavicencio left for a while in 2005, but later returned as team manager.
Shortly after his first stint with TNT, he was named the very first team manager of Meralco when it entered the league in 2010. Two years into the job, Villavicencio was later appointed media relations of the three PBA teams under the MVP umbrella, before going back to his old post as team manager of TNT in 2015.
It will actually be a reunion between Villavicencio and Uichico at NLEX, as the former was the Tropang Giga's team manager when the latter steered the team to the 2015 Commissioner's Cup crown.
"His wealth of experience both on and off the court will be of great help to the NLEX Road Warriors. We are also thankful to former team manager Larry Fonacier for his services to the team," said Dulatre.
"We are confident that coach Jong and coach Virgil's leadership will bring a new level of professionalism and success to the NLEX Road Warriors," Bautista added.
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