DEFENDING champion Letran installed Rensy Bajar as its new head coach for the upcoming Season 99 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The 47-year-old Bajar signed his two-year contract on Monday before Letran Rector Fr. Clarence Victor Marquez, OP, and athletic director Fr. Vic Calvo, OP.
He succeeds Bonnie Tan who opted to concentrate as head coach of NorthPort in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Bajar understands the enormous shoes he has to fill as the team is coming off three straight seniors titles.
“We’re just continuing the legacy of coach Bonnie, the winning culture,” he said.
With Letran seeking a “four-peat” and a 21st crown, Bajar will depend on veterans Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillonar, Kobe Monje and Andrey Guarino to lead the charge while welcoming new recruits, including transferee Deo Cuajao.
Proof of that continuity is the retention of assistants Raymund Tiongco and Lou Gatumbato, conditioning coach Rap Avenido and assistant team manager Joey Uy, with the additions of Matthew Sia and John Paul Caparas in the staff.
It’s also a historic signing for Letran with Bajar becoming the first Letran head coach from its archrival San Beda.
He was a star guard for the Red Lions in the mid-1990s and played alongside Ralph Rivera before becoming a third-round selection in the 2002 PBA Draft, spending six seasons in Shell and Alaska.
This, though, isn’t Bajar’s first go-round, with him previously handling University of the Philippines for a year back in UAAP Season 78 in 2015.
He is also the head coach and athletic director for Diliman College, steering the Blue Dragons to back-to-back Universities and Colleges Basketball League crowns in 2018 and 2019, while serving as Tan’s deputy at Letran since 2019 and as an assistant coach at NorthPort since 2017.
Besides Bajar, Letran also welcomed Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla as its new chief backer and team manager.