Can Timmy Sto. Tomas lead Petro Gazz back to the finals?
The Petro Gazz Angels, runners-up in the PVL’s first All-Filipino Conference this season, will be looking to bounce back in the league’s soon-to-begin season-ending tournament after a mediocre showing in the Invitational Conference—at least for Petro Gazz standards.
Leading the charge will be new coach Timmy Sto. Tomas, whom Angels fans correctly guessed as taking over the reins from Oliver Almadro, who was promoted to head of volleyball operations back in August.
Of course, a coaching change in the middle of the season can backfire as much as it can work wonders, as it often means a transition into something new—a new system, a new style, a new identity.
Petro Gazz star Grethcel Soltones is not worried. In fact, Lady Beast is already seeing lots of positives with the former Ateneo Blue Eagles tactician running the show.
“Sobrang technical niyang magturo, so mas nage-gets namin lahat ng pinagagawa niya, and mas napapadali ‘yung role ng bawat isa,” Soltones told One Sports when asked about Coach Timmy’s approach.
As for making big adjustments under Sto. Tomas, Soltones is not worried either.
“Hindi naman, kasi part lang din siya nung coaching staff nung last time, so hindi mahirap mag-adjust,” she said.
That should be good news for Angels fans, who would love nothing less than to see the Petro Gazz squad that took the Creamline Cool Smashers to the hilt in the All-Filipino Conference finals—not the one that faltered to ninth place in the Invitational Conference.
Sto. Tomas and Soltones will play a big part in that for sure.
(With reports from Katrina Alba, One Sports)