IN a span of just two months, changes have been aplenty for the Philippine national volleyball team programs.
The nationals’ rebrand into Alas Pilipinas came into fruition on May 15 alongside the announcement of its first-ever 16-player team pool — eight days before hosting the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women, where it won a bronze medal.
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Their men counterparts shortly followed in the same competition but had contrasting fates as they crashed to a Top 10 finish.
Come July 5, Alas Women absorbed another defeat in the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup to Vietnam after a late roster frenzy which saw last-minute withdrawals and unorthodox positional changes.
For former national coach Roger Gorayeb, no successful national team program was ever built overnight.
Hence, as is the case of his six-month-old Capital1 side in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), hastily-assembled squads won’t ever be primed for success even with the biggest of names and brightest of stars onboard.
“There are so many people having side comments. They are so impatient. They never thought that (Capital1) is a less than six-month-old team," Gorayeb said.
It's no different with the Alas teams, he added.
“Even if the national team picks all the big players, pagsama-samahin mo and you play outside of the country, they will never win. We need more time," the veteran coach added.
“What do I expect in a very short time that I have this players with me? What can I expect in the future? The best team that I can form.”
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