BO PERASOL is stepping down from his position as head coach of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
Perasol confirmed this Sunstar Cebu in a brief message on Wednesday evening, July 14.
“Yes it’s true. The UP administration and the team management will issue a statement tomorrow morning,” shared the affable head coach.
This development ends Perasol’s five-year stint at the helm of the Maroons that saw him turn the once-moribund collegiate basketball program into one of the most popular ones in the country. This includes steering the Diliman-based squad to its first Final Four appearance in more than two decades in UAAP Season 81. Led by fearless Cebuano wingman Paul Desiderio, UP made it all the way to the finals where it lost to the mighty Ateneo Blue Eagles.
In Season 82, UP secured the second seed but failed to return to the finals as they were upset by the University of Santo Tomas in the semifinal round.
Perasol will leave behind a Maroons squad that is stacked with talent. Despite losing the likes of Juan and Javi Gomez de Liaño and Kobe Paras, the team has assembled a veritable embarrassment of riches that features the likes of Gilas forward Carl Tamayo and Batang Gilas aces Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, RC Calimag, and Miguel Tan.
The Fighting Maroons have also recruited towering Senegalese Malick Diouf from CEU, former UST skipper CJ Cansino, ex-La Salle guard Joel Cagulangan, former Mapua wingman Cyril Gonzales, and ex-University of the Visayas standout Jancork Cabahug.