Former Gilas Pilipinas coach Rajko Toroman will make his return in the Philippine Basketball Association as he’ll play a more active role on the sidelines as coaching consultant of the Converge FiberXers.
Toroman himself confirmed it to Pinoystep.com in a Viber interview.
“I’ll be more active now on the sidelines. I’m excited to be back in the PBA since my last active involvement 11 years ago,” said Toroman.
Toroman last handled a team in the PBA in 2013 while serving as active coaching consultant of Barako Bull, a year after playing similar role with Petron, then the team being carried by San Miguel Beer.
But the Serbian mentor burst onto the Philippine basketball coaching scene in 2008, just a year after leading Iran to winning the FIBA Asia Championship and qualifying to the Olympics.
Toroman will bring along with him Charles Tiu, whom he had been working for a long time ever since the Serbian coach was handling the first wave of Gilas.
Toroman believes he and Tiu will sit on the bench and join interim coach Franco Atienza, who succeeded Aldin Ayo as head coach of the FiberXers. Also in the coaching staff are two-time Most Valuable Players Danny Ildfefonso and Willie Miller.
In an early interview with Pinoystep.com, Atienza revealed that they will continue the things previously being ran by Ayo as players are already familiar running the system, as the team is already pressed for time, but Toroman explained that he will slowly but surely integrate some of his own philosophies in the squad.
“Of course, every coach has its own system, its own beliefs when it comes to coaching, but because we’re running out of time, we’ll continue some of the things that were previously being ran by the team and slowly integrate some of my system,” added Toroman.
