Bulldogs tap Altamirano as coach, Parks as consultant

RP Youth basketball coach and former Philippine Basketball Association champion mentor Eric Altamirano will be the new bench tactician of the vastly-improved National University Bulldogs in next season’s cage wars of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Junel Baculi, NU’s athletic director, confirmed the news to GMANews.TV.

“Eric Altamirano will be our new coach next season," says Baculi in a telephone interview. “He was supposed to coach our team this season, but he has a commitment with the RP team. He will finish his commitment in the coming tournament in Yemen, but he will join us after their campaign."

Altamirano led Purefoods to the All-Filipino championship in 1997. The following season, he steered the Mobiline Phone Pals to the Centennial Cup crown.

With Altamirano joining the Bulldogs, Eric Gonzales, who previously handled the squad and led the team to a fifth-place finish in the UAAP this season, will slide down to the role as assistant coach.

“Eric (Gonzales) handled the team on an interim basis and we made that very clear. Now that Altamirano will join us, he will slide down as an assistant coach," says Baculi.

Baculi, also the head coach of Barako Bull in the PBA, gave the Bulldogs’ fifth-place finish with a grade of 5 from a scale of 1 to 10.

“I’m giving the team a 5 from a scale of 1 to 10. I’m not satisfied with the performance because I believe we could have done better," says Baculi, a multi-titled coach in the Philippine Basketball League.

“There were some close games where we could have won, yet we fell short. We could have made it to the Final Four."

But Baculi expressed confidence on the Bulldogs’ campaign next season as two members of the RP Youth squad – Cedric Labingisa and Kyle Neypes – will join NU.

“I think we have a good chance next season because Emmanuel Mbe will get additional help from newcomers like Labingisa and Neypes," says Baculi, whose team finished with a 7-7 card.

The addition of Ray and Bobby Parks will also boost NU's chances further.

Ray, the younger Parks, represented the Philippines in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the inaugural staging of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore recently.

Of course, Bobby is a seven-time Best Import awardee and Hall of Famer of the PBA. He has joined the Bulldogs coaching staff as a consultant.

Baculi believes the illustrious father and son tandem in the UAAP will be a welcome addition on the Bulldogs.

"Ray is set to play for us next season pending the eligibility requirements," says Baculi. "His father, Bobby, will be our consultant. But we haven't discussed yet whether he will sit on the bench or he will watch behind our bench where he will have a better view of the action. Bobby's function is to develop our big men." -