Ex-Ginebra trainer Joe Ward confirms appointment as UP Fighting Maroons coach

Former Ginebra skills coach Joe Ward confirmed on Wednesday his appointment as the head coach of the University of the Philippines men's basketball team.

 

"Two days ago they came up and gave me the news, the chancellor. They told me, 'Congratulations you're the new coach,'" said the American, who was involved with the UP Maroons as a trainer and skills coach.

Ward is different from "Jumping" Joe Ward, the former NBA player who played with Ginebra in the PBA in the late '80s.

 

Former coach Rey Madrid gave way from his position to allow the management to revamp and implement changes as they saw fit.

 

The Fighting Maroons are coming off a 1-13 campaign last season after winning their against Adamson University in the first round of the UAAP. The victory snapped a 27-game losing streak, but Ward is not keen on throwing a bonfire while he's in charge.

 

"No bonfires. That's in the past," he said, adding that his style of motivating player is to push them to work harder.

 

"The best thing about the whole thing is as a coach, you have to teach your players how to get better," he  said. "You have to work on the skills in order to be better."

 

Ward also said that he will not give special treatment to any of his players, raising a team rather than superstars.

 

"I'm teaching them how to play together because before they didn't play together and they didn't believe in each other," he said. "Now, it's getting better." —JST, GMA News