Rajko Toroman insists there’s a lot of work ahead for Converge after being tapped by management to help out interim coach Franco Atienza as an active consultant going into the PBA season which starts in two weeks.
“It’s really a difficult job. It’s not easy,” the original Gilas Pilipinas coach said after confirming his appointment in a radio-television interview Saturday on the program of his former national team boss, Noli Eala.
The coaching shakeup at the FiberXers’ camp came days after parting ways with Aldin Ayo, who handled the squad with mixed results over the last two seasons.
Following the departure of Ayo and his top lieutenant McJour Luib, Converge tapped assistant coach Atienza to handle the role on an interim basis.
Atienza told The Inquirer shortly before reports of Toroman’s entry surfaced that he was surprised to have been given the nod.
“It wasn’t like I was expecting it. It’s like you were blindsided,” Atienza said. “But whenever management expresses that trust in you, even if it’s just in an interim capacity—and the timeline is at least for this conference—you want to put your best foot forward.”
Career assistant
Atienza has been an assistant for most of his coaching career, namely in the collegiate ranks for Jose Rizal University, Far Eastern University and San Sebastian and with Alaska in the PBA. Converge absorbed Atienza when the FiberXers took over the Aces franchise in 2022.
Now, Atienza will work with Toroman in scrambling a plan to put Converge in a position to rebound from a dismal 2023-24 season.
Toroman said that Charles Tiu, who recently coached Strong Group Athletics (SGA) to the William Jones Cup title in Taiwan, will join the FiberXers staff. Tiu currently handles College of St. Benilde in the NCAA.
“Me, Coach Charles and Coach Franco will try to put some new philosophies and a new system of playing offense and defense,” Toroman said in the sports program. “The most important thing now is to be patient.”
Toroman has been working closely with Tiu at SGA and St. Benilde, both backed by the Lao family, which is also tied up with Converge as Jacob Lao serves as team manager.
Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda, who owns the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League’s (MPBL) Pampanga Giant Lanterns, also has an unspecified role with the FiberXers, who three weeks earlier selected his Giant Lanterns player Justine Baltazar as the top pick in the PBA Rookie Draft.
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Toroman was seen helping out the Giant Lanterns in their run-up to last year’s MPBL championship.
“They called me and said that it’s time to help Converge,” said Toroman, who had PBA consultancy roles in the past with San Miguel Beer (then Petron) and the defunct Barako Bull.
