DENNIS 'Denok' Miranda and Johnny Abarrientos, two great FEU Tamaraws point guards from different eras, have been handed the keys to the Tamaraws basketball program.
Miranda, 40, was officially named the new coach of the Tamaraws on Wednesday, giving the job back to a former FEU player after Olsen Racela - another great point guard but from Ateneo - held the job for five seasons.
READ: Miranda the frontrunner as Olsen fired as FEU coach
Miranda won two championships with the star-studded Tamaraws teams of 2003 and 2004 before going on a successful 12-year PBA career marked by stints at San Miguel, Coca Cola, Sta. Lucia and TNT, among others.
He served as one of the deputies on FEU bench until Racela was let go even with a year left in his contract after the Tamaraws missed the Final Four for the first time since 2012 in last season's ill-fated campaign.
"Known as an elite defender and leader during his time, Coach Denok is expected to instill a defensive and winning mentality with the team," the Tamaraws said in a post on their official social media pages.
LOOK:
Miranda is the first former FEU player to take on the role since Bert Flores, who took over the coaching reins briefly after another Tamaraws great, Glenn Capacio, quit in 2010.
Miranda will not do the job alone, as Abarrientos is set to take on a bigger role after being elevated from assistant coach to team consultant.
Abarrientos is a former PBA MVP who is a legend in Morayta, having won two UAAP championships in 2002 and 2004 alongside Vic Pablo. He also holds the position of deputy coach at Magnolia in the pro league.
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