STRONG Group Athletics is set to undergo a major rebrand and rebuild after its debut campaign in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
The SGA team will now be called the Zus Coffee Thunderbelles and will be led by Jerry Yee, who was previously the head coach of the Farm Fresh Foxies — the second PVL team of business tycoon and sports patron Frank Lao.
READ: All you need to know about the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft
Yee is also the coach of three-peat women's volleyball champions College of St. Benilde in the NCAA and the rebuilding University of the East side before he was suspended by the UAAP in the middle of its last season.
According to a media statement released by SGA, Yee will be joined at Zus Coffee by four graduating champion seniors from the Lady Blazers in MVP Cloanne Mondoñedo, Gayle Pascual, Michelle Gamit and Jade Gentapa.
The four played for Farm Fresh last year under a special pro licenses granted by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) to college players which expired in February.
Yee's move was the third transaction involving sister teams in the PVL before the pro league enforces new salary-cap rules and institutionalize a rookie draft, which is set to be held on July 6.
Previously, Choco Mucho moved Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro to multi-titled sister team Creamline prior to the start of this year's All-Filipino Conference won by the Cool Smashers, while Akari and Nxled announced a controversial swap of players and coaches green-lit by the league shortly after the season-opening tilt ended.
"I'm glad to have the St. Benilde seniors in our team Zus Coffee. It’s good that magkakasama pa rin kami sa PVL. They will be the core of our team as we build this team through the upcoming draft,” said Yee.
"We are thankful to Zus Coffee for helping us build our second team in the PVL. With this, we are bringing in coach Jerry Yee, who is the head of our volleyball program in Strong Group,” Zus Coffee team manager Kiara Cruz added.
“Being a multiple-time champion coach, we are confident that he can lead the Thunderbelles to the top of the PVL one day."
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