After failing to enter the Final Four of Season 81 of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers decided to hire former Thailand and Qatar national team coach Tim Lewis as their head of coaching staff in replacement of Louie Gonzales.
Coach Gonzales only had one season with the Green Archers as head coach after the departure of Aldin Ayo, running with an 8-6 record at the end of the elimination round and failing to win against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws during a do-or-die game for a spot in the Final Four. He voluntarily stepped down from his position but agreed to remain as an assistant coach under the same salary.
Fifty-one-year-old Tim Lewis is known for his international experience, besides formerly heading both Team Thailand and Team Qatar in the FIBA World Cup, also serving as assistant coach of the English team in the 2012 London Olympics. He also served as a consultant for local teams like Gilas Pilipinas and TNT, as well as for National Basketball Association (NBA) teams like the Phoenix Suns, the Toronto Raptors, and the Houston Rockets. Now, he will take over coaching La Salle’s newest lineup that includes team captain Andrei Caracut, Mythical Five member Justine Baltazar, and one of the top scorers Aljun Melecio.
Besides remaining Gonzales, Lewis’ assistant coaches will compose of Danny Seigle as consultant, Chappy Callanta as strength and conditioning, MC Abolucion as skills, and Lamont Waters, who used to serve in the US Air Force. All four, who are replacing Glenn Capacio, Siot Tanquincen, and Anton Altamirano, are also part of the Alab Pilipinas staff in the ASEAN Basketball League.
Sources say that Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legend Jimmy Alapag was also offered Lewis’s positio, but declined due to prior obligations with Alab Pilipinas as well.