REGINE Diego is taking over as head coach of the NU Lady Bulldogs.
SPIN.ph has learned that her presence at the Shakey's Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup press conference on Wednesday, initially assumed as a proxy for Sherwin Meneses, turns out to be her first public appearance as new head coach.
The former National U assistant team manager was once head coach of the dynastic Lady Bullpups program of NU-Nazareth that produced some of the school's finest talents in Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon.
While still yet to be announced by the university, Diego will begin her tour of duty with the UAAP's three-peat-seeking Lady Bulldogs in the SSL preseason tilt later this month.
READ: How NU played through three head coaches to win three UAAP titles
Diego will come in as the fifth Lady Bulldogs coach in eight years in a coaching rigodon that's not usually seen from a team that has been highly successful in that stretch.
Babes Castillo brought the Lady Bulldogs to the semifinals in Season 80, while Karl Dimaculangan won it Season 84 before ending up as a runner-up in Season 85.
Norman Miguel, who had two tours of duty with NU, won it Season 86 while the aformentioned Meneses brought the Lady Bulldogs their first back-to-back UAAP Women's Volleyball Title by winning Season 87.
Despite the pressure of bring the Lady Bulldogs back to the promised land and the fact that its veteran core is now gone, Diego is up to the challenge of not only inheriting the reins of a champion team but also ushering its rebuild.
“This is going to be our rebuilding era. Hindi naman pwedeng ikaw lagi yung on top, hindi naman ikaw yung expected mag win,” Diego said.
“We will just do our best and try to defend our title.”
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