The sudden coaching change in the women's volleyball national team caught everyone by surprise. Shaq delos Santos recently took the place of Ramil de Jesus, who resigned nearly two months after his appointment.
Volleyball players, however, remain optimistic amidst the controversial change.
"I was surprised that the coach was changed again," said Denden Lazaro. "But we're in good hands with coach Shaq. He's a good coach, he has a good system. I'm looking forward to working with him."
"For us players, we just need to be open because there's nothing permanent. We'll just follow the instructions of our coaches and staff," said Jaja Santiago. "The change is okay because Coach Shaq is also one of the best coaches here in the Philippines."
Aby Maraño, who was looking forward to having long-time mentor De Jesus as her coach in the national team, is also taking the news positively.
"That's Coach Ramil's personal decision so we all respect that. We just need to focus on forming a Philippine team whatever happens," she said. "Whether or not the coach was changed, we should not be affected. It's their decision. We just have to focus on training to get stronger and better."
Veterans of the national team have all dealt with issues involving changes in management and lineups in the previous years. This buildup to the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is no exception.
While they are determined to make the most out of the limited time to prepare for upcoming international tournaments, they all expressed their desire for an established program that will be beneficial for the Philippine team in the long run.
"We're used to this. This really happens but hopefully, this is the last time so that we can unify and focus on joining international competitions," expressed Maraño.
"As a player, we want a good system, just one system for the whole year or whole duration of the national team," said Santiago. "It's better if we can establish one system and one team so that players can have a better experience and we can keep up internationally."
"We're used to the short preparation time but it's better if we have a long-term preparation, just like our opponents. It's better if this team will have a good foundation and if we can start training early as well," the towering spiker added.
"Everybody would like consistency. We've all been wanting something long-term," echoed Lazaro. "But it's good to see also that a lot of people are willing to give their time and effort for the national team. Coach Shaq was given the position on short notice but he was willing to give his time for the team, for the nation."