Far Eastern University (FEU) is bringing in Mike Reyes to serve as its new program director for basketball ahead of Season 88 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Reyes, the younger brother of TNT Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes, will take over from Denok Miranda, who will now focus on his job as assistant coach of the Abra Weavers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

Prior to this realignment, Miranda’s son, Dwyne, had transferred from FEU to National University under Jeff Napa.

In a social media post, the Tamaraws thanked Miranda for his contributions, not just as head coach and program director, but also as the chief playmaker of the team that won back-to-back UAAP titles in 2003 and 2004.

On the other hand, the school is thrilled to hire Reyes, a former Ateneo de Manila University guard who is armed with a wealth of experience after serving as assistant of his older brother at Pop Cola and Coca-Cola in the Philippine Basketball Association before moving to Cebu.

Aside from serving as program director, Reyes will also coach the Baby Tamaraws while having an oversight on Tamaraws head coach Sean Chambers.

“We thank former program head Denok Miranda for the work he has done with FEU basketball over the past years and wish him the best,” the school said in a post on Tuesday.

“Mike Reyes is extremely accomplished in his work with youth athletes having won championships in the UAAP and the CESAFI (Cebu Schools Athletic Federation Inc.). He brings his constraints-led coaching philosophy to the FEU basketball program.”

Reyes steered Southwestern University to a CESAFI title in 2019 and led KCS Computer Specialist–Mandaue City to the Visayas leg title of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup in 2021.

He also coached the Cebu Classics in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League but only had a brief stint due to the squad’s financial woes.

Reyes’ big task at hand will be beefing up the Tamaraws as they move on from losing UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year Veejay Pre and improving from their 5-9 win-loss record from last year.

He will also be facing the challenge of improving the Baby Tamaraws’ roster after a third-place finish in the juniors division of the UAAP last year.