EVEN the most decorated coaches in pro sports are not immune to the cycle of parting ways.
In leagues like the UAAP or the PBA, sustained success often comes with a short leash. Just a prolonged dip and even the most accomplished tacticians can find themselves out of a job.
That scenario could have easily applied to Sherwin Meneses and Creamline.
After completing Philippine volleyball’s first Grand Slam in September 2024, the Cool Smashers managed just one finals appearance in the next four tournaments and came away without a title.
The 19-month stretch saw the league's standard-setters settle for silver in the All-Filipino Conference and back-to-back bronzes in the PVL on Tour and Invitational before sliding to a franchise-worst sixth-place finish in import-laden play.
For a team that had built its identity on winning and winning a lot, it was unfamiliar territory. And yet, there was no panic.
Creamline is still Creamline
With the championship core largely intact, Creamline resisted the urge to overhaul.
Instead, both the team and Meneses himself leaned on continuity, convinced that a return to the top did not require reinvention.
As the league around them improved, the adjustment was not to abandon what worked, but to refine it.
READ: Admittedly 'tumatanda na,' Creamline just grateful for another title together
Now with an 11th title secured, Meneses made it clear that his and his team's belief never wavered.
“Wala naman,” he answered when asked if he ever had any doubts about his wards or his ability to guide them back to the summit.
“Talagang pinanghawakan lang namin ‘yung sistema namin at pinush lang namin na mag-improve pa sa mga kakulangan namin last year, sa almost three [tournaments] kami na hindi nakapasok sa finals o nag-champion.”
And like many Cool Smashers have already said, what set this latest run apart, was the higher degree of difficulty.
“Iba ‘yung usapan ngayong taon eh. Talagang ‘yung preparation and timing, binigay namin ngayong conference kahit na hindi gaanong naging dire-diretso kasi may mga injuries, may mga may sakit,” Meneses, now an eight-time champion coach, said.
But in the end, Creamline’s dip was never about something fundamentally broken. It was simply about holding steady.
“’Yun ‘yung key kaya nag-champion ‘yung team: kahit may nawala, may bumalik. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung best na nangyari sa Creamline ngayon, na kahit sinong nandiyan is magde-deliver talaga,” he said.
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