Pumarens bring sibling rivalry to UAAP war

MANILA, Philippines - University of the East coach Derrick Pumaren welcomed the entry of his younger brother Franz as new mentor of Adamson University and looks forward to a healthy sibling battle with him in the UAAP Season 79 hoops wars.

“He will be good for Adamson. He can bring a solid basketball program for them. I just hope Adamson will be patient enough because he is their third coach in three years. It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Derrick.

A five-time UAAP champion coach with his alma mater La Salle,  Franz replaced Mike Fermin, who slid to assistant. Fermin called the shots for one season in place of Kenneth Duremdes, who was relieved at the end of Season 77.

Franz, who signed a three-year pact with AdU, said he aims to deliver a championship and end the Falcons’ long drought dating back to 1977.

With Franz at the helm of AdU and Derrick on his third year with UE, basketball fans look ahead to an exciting coaching matchup between the brothers and the moves, counter-moves they will make when their teams face off.

“This will be the first time I will go up against Franz. It’ s going to be interesting and exciting to play them,” Derrick said. “More or less I know what he’ll do because I was his consultant with La Salle and modesty aside, I was the one who introduced the press in La Salle basketball program.”

The elder Pumaren, meanwhile, expects his Red Warriors team led by holdovers Bonbon Batiller and Clark Derige to be much more competitive in Season 79.

“I’m pretty excited. I can’t wait to see this team next year with these guys gaining one-year experience and maturing this year,” said Pumaren.

With nine rookies, seven of whom were freshmen, UE carded a 6-8 record in Season 78 and missed a playoff for a Final Four berth by just one victory. And Pumaren quickly started their earnest buildup for next season, recalling the players a few days after wrapping up their campaign.