Report: Pido Jarencio back as UST head coach

MANILA, Philippines — Pido Jarencio is back in España.

University of Santo Tomas officially welcomed back the seasoned head coach Friday, as per the school’s publication The Varsitarian, after a week of speculation in the aftermath of Bal David’s resignation.

Both sides, The Varsitarian said, met and finalized the deal yesterday that paved the way for a much-awaited reunion almost a decade since Jarencio’s last UST stint, and 17 years after their historic championship run.

Jarencio, a bona fide Tiger himself during the 1980s, was the last coach to steer UST to a UAAP championship in 2006 that also served as his coaching debut.

During his coaching tenure in España, the former UAAP and PBA star gunner guided the Growling Tigers to six Final Four and three finals appearances before stepping down in 2013.

He went on to transition with the pros with Globalport (now Northport) from then, until this year when he became the team manager, switching roles with now interim head coach Bonnie Tan.

The development set the stage for his eventual head coaching return in the collegiate ranks with hopes of bringing back the winning magic he achieved last time out.

Jarencio, 58, will inherit a UST squad led by rising star Nic Cabañero, whom he already met yesterday as the Tigers look to climb from the bottom the UAAP following with a dismal 1-13 finish in Season 85.