RAMIL de Jesus has built a storied sporting dynasty with La Salle and an unrivaled coaching legacy over the last 28 years.
Within a near three-decade stretch, RDJ steered the Lady Spikers to 21 finals appearances and 12 UAAP women's volleyball championships.
His personal coaching record has also been untouchable by any other tactician to have set foot in the league — 321 wins and 90 losses.
READ: La Salle puts UST down for the count, plots grand challenge for National U
That's a 78.1 percent win rate which no other coach has come close to.
But what's been key to RDJ's unrivaled success over the last three decades?
It's his approach of treating his coaching endeavor as a 'passion project' bent on building the sport's future stars one season at a time.
"Hard work lang ‘yun kasi ito naman yung passion ko as a coach — 'yung maturuan mo yung mga bata, madala mo sa [tagumpay] at mailabas mo yung talent nila," de Jesus said.
"Once na madala mo du'n sa finals yung mga bata, ang laking fulfillment ‘yun para sa'kin [as a] coach,” he added.
"'Yun na 'yung nag-momotivate sa akin para maibigay ko yung tulong sa kanila at yung dapat nilang matutunan."
In a week's time, de Jesus will step back onto college volleyball's biggest stage against the last team that dealt him a rare championship loss: National U.
Season 84 back in 2022 saw a new dynasty in the making break new ground in UAAP women's volleyball as the Lady Bulldogs completed a 14-game season sweep that took the formidable Lady Spikers down.
While they were able to gain a measure of revenge a season later, de Jesus isn't about to yield to National U again and vows to pull out all the stops to win his and La Salle's 13th crown jewel.
"Kilala naman natin yung NU. Talagang since high school, magkakasama na yung mga yan. Talagang sobrang lalim nung experience nila sa isa't isa," RDJ said.
"Talagang paghandaan lang namin sila dahil marami pa akong dapat ayusin sa team. Kanina' medyo happy naman ako pero marami pa akong gustong makita na hindi ko nakita.
"Kung mailalabas nila yung in-expect ko sa kanila, and makasabay kami, magkaroon kami ng chance — at malaki ‘yung chance."
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