HOMECOMING: Shaq Delos Santos Comes Back as UST Head Coach

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The last man to lead the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses to a UAAP Women’s Volleyball championship title will be returning to his helm.

In an announcement made by the school, Shaq Delos Santos, the program’s former chief tactician who led the team to a UAAP title in Season 72, will now be elevated to head coach, replacing Kungfu Reyes who is filling the program director role.

UST had multiple chances to halt their 15-year UAAP title drought under the program of Reyes but instead of relief, the Golden Tigresses were dealt with heartbreak after heartbreak since the Eya Laure-Sisi Rondina era.

In dire hopes of finally reclaiming the golden trophy, UST pulled off the bold move just in time when the Golden Tigresses return to their training before the UAAP season unfolds in the later months.

Delos Santos’ affiliation with UST dates back to 2008 and only needed two more years to deliver the chip to the promise land.

During that championship season, Delos Santos weaved his magic and mentored the likes of Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Angeli Tabaquero, and Maru Banaticla.

However, Delos Santos and the Golden Tigresses failed to repeat in 2011 as they lost their grand finals series against the revamped De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spiker.

Delos Santos didn’t continue his coaching stint with UST after the finals loss and rendered his services to the Far Eastern University (FEU), where he led the program to several Final Four appearances.

Before accepting the role, Delos Santos served as part of Reyes’ coaching staff while juggling his mentorship duties to the Cignal HD Spikers in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).