Former Barangay Ginebra player Robert Labagala will serve as the head coach of San Sebastian College when it competes in Season 101 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

Labagala, a cat-quick point guard who played college ball at University of the East, formally signed the memorandum of agreement with top school officials led by Father Rev. Rafael B. Pecson late Thursday inside the school’s campus in Manila.

Aside from the hiring of Labagala, the school also announced its agreement with Red Dynasty Restaurant of brothers Jackson and Eds Chua as the Golden Stags’ new sponsor and seasoned basketball executive Bernard Yang as team manager.

Joining Labagala in the “Baste” bench are Carmelo Navarro, Jay Cruz and former head coach Arvinn Bonleon with veteran tactician Mac Tan as consultant.

Sources, however, revealed that the new management team remains inclusive and is still open to adding some names in the coaching staff like former Stags mentor Raymond Valenzona as deputy and former high school standout June Dizon as skills coach.

The new team management signed a three-year deal with the hopes of turning the Golden Stags into a powerhouse squad that they used to be during their glory days in the 1990s.

“San Sebastian is a team with a rich winning tradition and we are committed to helping it rekindle its glory days,” Jackson said, referring to the squad that produced some of the country’s brightest basketball stars like Rommel Adducul, Bong Alvarez and Topex Robinson, Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang.

But the Stags slid in the NCAA totem pole the past couple of years with their last Final Four appearance coming in 2019 under Egay Macaraya with RK Ilagan as main man. Last year, under the mentorship of Bonleon, the squad struggled with a forgettable 6-12 record.

“We will not promise championships right away but only one thing is sure: We will play our hearts out and give our best game in and game out.”