By MARK MONTEJO
Jimmy Alapag has come back home.
The PBA great and former Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jimmy Alapag is making his return to the league after being appointed as the newest head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors, the team announced Monday, June 29.
Alapag had served as an assistant for G-League’s Stockton Kings for two years before he became a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA — an experience that should come handy when takes over the Road Warriors in place of former coach Jong Uichico.
“As we prepare for the upcoming conference, the NLEX management believes this is the right time to introduce renewed leadership while preserving the continuity and identity that the team has built,” the team wrote on its social media post.
“Coach Jimmy brings valuable experience from an NBA organization, a strong basketball philosophy, and a player-centered approach that we believe can help elevate the team to the next level,” it added.
For NLEX, appointing Alapag as its tactician could help the franchise to reach its fullest potential of becoming a title-contender squad.
“This move is about strengthening the program, combining fresh perspectives with continuity, and giving ourselves the best opportunity to achieve our goal of becoming a championship-caliber team,” it continued.
Since his departure from the Kings, Alapag had long been rumored to return to the PBA to continue his coaching career.
Aside from NLEX, Alapag is also being linked to possibly joining the coaching staff of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP.
Of course, that could only happen should Ateneo decide to not sit out Season 89 following the tragic deaths of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during one of its team building activities in Aurora.
