Shaq delos Santos was formally introduced as the new head coach of the women's volleyball national team on Tuesday afternoon at the Arellano Gym.
The Petron mentor took over the coaching duties following Ramil de Jesus' resignation two weeks ago. According to Peter Cayco, Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. (LVPI) acting president, De Jesus stepped down due to his other commitments.
"Apparently, coach Ramil has his own reasons. One of them, I think, is his commitment, his time and schedule, because he's now coaching three teams. I respect his decision and we have to move on. We're very thankful to Shaq that on short notice, he accepted," said Cayco.
The LVPI top official added that the selection committee unanimously decided to pick Delos Santos as replacement. They also named Kungfu Reyes of UST and Brian Esquibel of Letran as assistant coaches to ensure that the collegiate scene is represented.
Potential members of the pool were invited to attend the initial meeting, where sixteen players attended: Kim Fajardo, Mika Reyes, Majoy Baron, Dawn Macandili, Kianna Dy, Rebecca Rivera, Aby Maraño, Denden Lazaro, Jaja Santiago, Dindin Manabat, Sisi Rondina, Mylene Paat, Rhea Dimaculangan, Ces Molina, Maika Ortiz, and CJ Rosario.
More volleyball stars are expected to show up when the national team holds a practice session on Thursday. A minimum of 18 members will be selected to form the pool that will compete in the Asian Games in August, Asian Women's Volleyball Cup in September, and Southeast Asian Games next year.