Denok Miranda to bring ‘hard working’ identity as player to FEU Tamaraws

MANILA, Philippines – Denok Miranda vowed to instill his identity as a ‘hard worker’ player and place a premium on defense after being named as the new head coach of Far Eastern University for the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.

Miranda’s career is over because the former Tamaraw has been appointed to take pictures for his alma mater, replacing Olsen Racela, who handled the team from 2017 to 2022.

The 40-year-old coach may be a new coach among all the other UAAP teams, but expect him to show his extensive experience as a player, who won two championships with FEU and has a 12-year PBA career.

“Of course I will be the new coach there and then we will be able to compete with the great coaches,” said Miranda, who led the Baby Tamaraws to a 116-80 win against the University of the East in the UAAP junior basketball as Allan Albano missed the game due to personal problems.

“Maybe what I can say is that you know my identity as a player [madadala] I work hard.”

(As a new coach, I will face experienced and good coaches in the UAAP. But everyone knows my identity when I am a player, I am a hard worker.)

EXPERIENCE

Miranda won two championships in the UAAP with Arwind Santos and Jeff Chan in 2003 and 2004 before he was drafted third by Coca-Cola in 2005. He won two PBA championships with Sta. Lucia in the 2007-08 season and Petron in the 2011 Governors Cup and also played for Barako Bull, Global Port, TNT, and last team Blackwater from 2016-2017.

“I will bring my experience from the PBA, playing for different coaches. I will share with these young players because I experienced playing as a starter, a role player, and a bench player. I know what all the players feel,” he said in Filipino. .

The Tamaraws will begin practice with Miranda as head coach on Friday. The new FEU coach revealed that he has spoken with 10 of the team’s retainers including Cholo Anonuevo, Royce Alforque, and Xyrus Torres.

Miranda, who has been FEU’s assistant coach since 2018 and coached Binan City in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, admitted that bringing his team back to the Final Four will not be a walk in the park.

But he promises to bring back the spirit to the FEU community, looking to turn the Tamaraws into a defensive team.

“[Bringing the team back to the] The Final Four will not be easy. But I can vouch for the new FEU team community, especially on defense. We’re going to improve ourselves,” Miranda said. “Our culture is known for defense. It will be a more exciting FEU. You know my identity as a player, I will share it with my team.

The incoming rookie FEU coach knew he wasn’t alone as he lifted the Tamaraws from a seventh-place finish in Season 85 to a 5-9 record that took them out of the Final Four for the first time since 2012. The team remains a stacked coach. a staff led by consultant Johnny Abarrientos and assistant coaches Albano, Eric Gonzales, Vic Pablo, Jonathan De Guzman, and Mark Isip.

“I am grateful and honored that FEU trusted me as the head coach. But I will not be alone because my fellow coaches will guide me and they have given me advice on defense and offense. We will balance everyone’s input,” Miranda said.

Although he is set to instill some changes in the team’s system, Miranda promises to continue to embrace the Tamaraws culture that marked him as a player almost twenty years ago.

“The culture of FEU is one. We are low profile but we bring a lot of pride,” said.

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