Charles Tiu, one of the country’s brightest young mentors, formally stepped down as assistant coach of Converge following their quarterfinal exit in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

In a telephone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE, the 36-year-old Tiu said he is walking away from the PBA to spend more time with his family while focusing on his other coaching duties at College of Saint Benilde and Strong Group Athletics.

With Tiu at the helm, the Blazers made it to the finals before getting swept by Mapua University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 100. He also guided the powerhouse Strong Group squad to the semifinals of the Dubai International Basketball Championship.

Now, Tiu can have the luxury of time chasing titles outside the PBA as he walks away from the FiberXers headed by coach Franco Atienza.

“I wanted to focus more on Saint Benilde, spend time with my family, and focus on my business. I didn’t plan to join Converge anyways, it kind of just happened,” Tiu said.

“It’s great. I get to travel, book any trips I want, and relax a bit more.”

The FiberXers, with Tiu assisting Atienza, nearly made it to the PBA semifinals twice.

After clinching the third seed in Group A of the Governors’ Cup with a 6-4 win-loss record, Converge pushed San Miguel Beer to the limit in their best-of-five quarterfinal series before suffering a tough 105-109 loss in the decider last August.

In this year’s Commissioner’s Cup, the FiberXers finished with an 8-4 record to secure the third seed but lost to Rain or Shine in their best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Still, Tiu relishes his time with Converge and believes his former team will be able to make it to the semifinals one day.

“I enjoyed being part of a PBA team again, made some great friendships and relationships, and was happy to compete against the best in the country. I think it makes me a better person and a better coach so hopefully it can help me improve as a coach,” Tiu said.

“I 100 percent think and believe they will do well. They have a great team out there. We were a few plays short of making the semifinals in back-to-back conferences, but that’s basketball.”

“With their experience, I really believe they will make it soon.”

After his break, Tiu will be back in action as assembles the best roster for Strong Group in the 44th William Jones Cup in Taiwan.

Strong Group will be defending its title after winning it all last year after winning all eight games, including an 83-79 overtime win against Chinese Taipei Blue.