BONNIE Tan bid Letran goodbye to end a fruitful four-year run for the Muralla school in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
“I’m grateful for the opportunities that Letran has afforded me,” Tan said on Sunday. “I’m deeply appreciative of how the community has welcomed me since I came on board and being considered as an honorary Letranite will always be one of the biggest achievements I could ever receive.”
Tan will focus on NorthPort where he was officially named head coach after serving in an interim capacity in the recent Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup.
Tan replaced Jeff Napa at Letran in 2019, the same year when Petron threw its full sponsorship of the school’s men’s basketball program.
He immediately steered the Knights past the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA Season 95 Finals and went 12-0 in Season 97 to complete a “three-peat.”
Tan went 44-13 won-lost at Letran, an impressive 77 percent winning rate that netted him three NCAA Coach of the Year awards.
He also nurtured the collegiate careers of now PBA players Jerrick Balanza, Larry Muyang, Bonbon Batiller, Jeo Ambohot, Ato Ular and Allen Mina and Season 97 Rookie MVP Rhenz Abando who’s doing well South in Korea.
“As I close this chapter, I cherish all of those who believed in what we could do for the Knights, from boss Ramon S. Ang and sports director Alfrancis Chua of San Miguel Corp. to Letran Rector Fr. Clarence Victor C. Marquez, OP, Vice President for Academic Affairs Assoc. Prof. Cristina M. Castro-Cabral, Ph.D and athletic director Fr. Victor Calvo, OP,” he said.
Letran is excpected to announce the appointment of Tan’s Rensy Bajar as head coach on Monday.
“Coach Rensy has been with us during the ‘three-peat’ era and I’m confident that he can sustain the winning culture that we have built with the Knights,” he said.
Letran will still have a formidable team in Season 99, with Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillonar and Kobe Monje all.