Allan Albano will be returning as head coach as Mike Reyes resumes his role as basketball operations of Far Eastern University (FEU), which is fresh from winning Season 88 University Athletic Association of the Philippines high school basketball tournament crown.

Reyes, the brother of TNT Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes, said he is turning the program over to Allan Albano so he can focus on running the school’s basketball operations.

“Right after Game 3, after the boys celebrated, (FEU athletic director) Mark (Molina) asked me if I should make the announcement. I said ‘yes!’ So, I turned the program over to coach Allan. I’m happy with that because there will be continuity with the program,” said Reyes, who is juggling both roles of head of basketball operations and interim head coach of the Baby Tamaraws last season.

“It’s my mantra that the life of a coach is always looking forward and planning for the next season.”

Molina added that the decision had long been in place since the school brought Albano back into the fold last 22 January.

“Even before Coach Allan officially returned, we already had a clear direction for the program. It was always about stability and continuity for FEU basketball. Everything we do is anchored on long-term development,” Molina said.

A two-time boys’ basketball champion coach and a two-time women’s basketball champion during Season 75, Albano expressed his excitement in returning to the program.

“Of course, I’m happy,” he said,

“It feels amazing to be back at FEU. I’m happy to reunite with the team and see familiar faces again. I’m excited to teach, guide, and support them once more. It’s truly great to be back coaching, and what I look forward to the most is helping them grow.”

Based on the new setup, Reyes will focus on equipping the Baby Tamaraws with strong fundamentals as part of a unified development system across all levels of FEU basketball.

“Right now, I’ll be focusing on making sure our program is geared toward developing the fundamentals of our high school players,” he said.

“What’s important is that from the Baby Tamaraws up to the Tamaraws seniors, we’re building the same foundation and direction. We need to have only one direction and system so that we can sustain the development of players.”