STRONG Group Athletics (SGA) is set to inject championship pedigree and veteran experience into its young core after securing the services of PVL champion coach Koji Tsuzurabara and longtime UAAP mentor Kungfu Reyes for the 2026 season.
SGA announced the hiring of the 61-year-old Japanese tactician following the latter’s half-year stint before departing for a coaching opportunity in Indonesia, along with one of now-disbanded Chery Tiggo’s deputies.
LOOK:
Tsuzurabara returns to the Philippines with a resumé highlighted by a breakthrough title run with Petro Gazz.
His year-and-a-half tenure with the Angels peaked in April last year, when he steered the franchise to its first-ever All-Filipino Conference championship by dethroning longtime league powerhouse Creamline.
That triumph also made him just the second foreign coach to capture a PVL title for a local team at the time after the Cool Smashers' Tai Bundit.
However, his stay with Petro Gazz was not without turbulence.
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Just three months after his breakthrough title win, Tsuzurabara stepped down midway through the PVL on Tour preseason tournament.
He later revealed to SPIN.ph that a lack of confidence in the team’s direction, coupled with recurring on-court issues, ultimately led to his abrupt resignation.
A month later, the veteran mentor resurfaced on the sidelines in Mongolia with SG Hawks, though that chapter also proved short-lived.
Tsuzurabara cited deep-rooted internal problems within the team, including leadership and organizational issues as reasons for his early exit.
“There are too many problems with this [Mongolian] team. The captain doesn't attend practice, the team is run entirely by the captain,” he shared with SPIN.ph.
“This problem has been going on for three years, and the staff hasn't come up with any solutions. The team isn't united and I'm exhausted by this team.”
Kungfu fighting, again
Reyes, meanwhile, will be taking on an expanded slate of responsibilities in the PVL and beyond.
Despite the Crossovers’ dissolution late last year, the 44-year-old tactician will remain active in the professional ranks as part of the SGA stable.
Added to his growing list of roles is another milestone appointment, as he is set to embark on his first coaching stint in the NCAA with the San Beda Lady Red Spikers.
Parallel to this, Reyes will also assume duties as the director of the women’s and girls’ volleyball programs in University of Santo Tomas, marking a new chapter after concluding a decade-long tenure as head coach of the Golden Tigresses.
The multiple appointments underscore Reyes’ continued influence across collegiate and professional volleyball, positioning him as one of the sport’s most visible and heavily tasked figures heading into the 2026 season.
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