JRU names former King Bomber Meneses as new coach

Jose Rizal University (JRU) began its bid for a better finish next season when it named Vergel Meneses as the new coach replacing Ariel Vanguardia as the Heavy Bombers’ mentor. Meneses, a 14-year PBA veteran who last played for the Talk ‘N Text franchise in 2006, is a former King Bomber but failed to lead the Mandaluyong-based squad to win the crown. He now gets a second chance to end JRU’s 37-year title drought after earning his coaching experience as one of Burger King mentor Allan Gregorio’s assistants in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). Derrick Pumaren is reportedly being eyed to assist Meneses at the JRU bench as team consultant. Vanguardia took over from Cris Calilan just a week before the 2005 NCAA basketball season opened and steered the Bombers to a Final Four finish a year later. From there, JRU went on land a seat in the 2008 finals where it came a win close of unseating then reigning titlist San Beda. This season, Vanguardia and the Bombers failed to even make it to the finals after losing to San Sebastian in their winner-take-all Final Four match. The Stags went on to sweep the Red Lions in the Finals. In other news, National University is reportedly wooing University of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio to replace Bulldogs mentor Manny Dandan next season. Dandan’s contract as the Bulldogs’ coach was terminated by the NU board right before Game 3 of the UAAP Finals between Ateneo and UE, which the Blue Eagles won. If reports are true, Jarencio will be handling his second collegiate team in four years. A highly-placed source from the Sampaloc-based squad, who requested anonymity, said Jarencio is the most likely candidate that could help them shed their whipping boy image and end more than five decades of frustration in the country’s premier collegiate basketball tournament. NU, however, surprised everyone when it barged in the Final Four in 2001 but the team went back to its losing ways after that. Jarencio completed a Cinderella Finish when he led the Tigers to the 2006 UAAP crown. But the former scoring ace of the Glowing Goldies during the mid 80s struggled in the next two seasons as UST couldn’t keep up with the rest of the squads that have become stronger and better. NU, which is now being bankrolled by the SM Group of Companies, reportedly tendered an offer Jarencio could not refuse, a salary more than twice bigger than what he receives with UST. – GMANews.TV