RAINER Maga's decision to leave University of the East was a tough one for new head coach Chris Gavina.
Designated to bring the long-suffering Red Warriors back to relevance, the Fil-Am mentor admitted that the departure of the Davaoeño guard was a stinging blow for his program just in its infancy.
READ: UP adds another transferee in Rain Maga to help fill JD Cagulangan void
But in the end, it was a decision he understood.
"We had a face-to-face meeting after practice on Thursday (last week) and he just explained to me the decision his family made in regards to his basketball career," he told SPIN.ph.
"I told him as disappointing as this news is, I'd always be there if he ever needed any guidance and I wished him the best wherever he winds up."
Maga is coming off a breakout rookie year in Recto where he averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in UAAP Season 87 after staying in the Team B in the past year.
He is the third rotation player in as many seasons to leave the red-and-white for the University of the Philippines, following Gani Stevens and Rey Remogat.
Red alert for poaching problem
In recent history, players from UE have been in the crosshairs of other schools as potential poaching targets, one that Gavina isn't impervious from.
That's where his job comes in, stating, "Those types of cultural changes won't happen overnight. It has to be a total consensus and a collective show of force to generate solutions that will show current and future players that UE is an outstanding environment to be in and our program is one of the elite programs in the UAAP."
"We need to be able to do our part in securing players that understand that to be part of UE legacy should mean more to you than any other factors."
That's why Gavina is taking it upon himself to do his part for the Red Warriors' basketball program to avoid similar incidences in the future and change this narrative.
"I do promise that I will make sure those cultural changes that are reflective of championship programs are slowly but surely made here at UE, and that those who have the privilege of representing UE will do so with the greatest amount of genuine pride," he said.
"We will ensure that moving forward, we focus our sights on individuals who are all about team first, give positive attitude and energy every day, and have full belief in what this program can accomplish are the players we build our program around."
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