Lady Bulldogs tap new coach

National University (NU) will have a new head coach when it defends the title in Season 88 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s basketball tournament starting next week.

Longtime deputy Da Olan replaced Aris Dimaunahan with the tough mission of sustaining the Lady Bulldogs’ glory after beating University of Santo Tomas in a dramatic finale last year.

He will have deputies Julie Amos, Paul Du and Cams Escoto in his staff together with an intact championship core led by rising star Cielo Pagdulagan along with veterans Kristine Cayabyab, Angel Surada and Karl Ann Pingol as they aim to extend NU’s dominance.

“With his dedication and passion, he will continue the legacy of Coach Aris Dimaunahan — pushing the team to be stronger, faster, and tougher every step of the way,” the school announced on Tuesday.

Da Olan’s experience made him the logical choice for the job. After all, he was part of the coaching staff when Patrick Aquino steered the program to six UAAP titles, highlighted by an incredible 96-game winning streak 2014 to 2019.

Aquino, however, stepped down in 2022 to focus on Gilas Pilipinas Women, tapping Aris Dimaunahan as his replacement.

Although their dominance was ended by the Tigresses in Season 86, Dimaunahan did a good job in restoring the glory after beating the Tigresses in the finals of Season 87.

Now, it’s Olan’s turn to handle the Lady Bulldogs after Dimaunahan resigned to focus on serving as assistant coach of Jeffrey Cariaso at Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association.