GlobalPort names Richie Ticzon interim coach

For the second straight season, GlobalPort is heading into the PBA Philippine Cup with an interim coach at the helm.

In what could be the most surprising move of the team this off-season, team owner Mikee Romero named Ritchie Ticzon as the Batang Pier's interim tactician on Saturday, replacing head coach Junel Baculi exactly eight days before the league's 39th season kicks off with the All Filipino Cup.

The move came on the heels of GlobalPort's 102-92 victory over formidable Alaska in their pre-season match at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City earlier, with Ticzon calling the shots in lieu of the 'absent' Baculi.

Impressed with how the new-look Batang Pier played under Ticzon, Romero, who was watching intently from the sidelines, didn't waste time announcing the decision.

"I slept over it (the decision) and we explored a lot of coaches until finally, we decided on somebody who is new, with no PBA coaching experience to become our head coach," he said.

Ticzon, along with Far Eastern U's Eric Gonzales, was supposed to serve Batang Pier as an assistant to Baculi following the team's aggressive overhaul going into their second season in the pro league.

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On the lookout for a new tactician, GlobalPort was even reported luring the likes of current San Mig Coffee assistant coach Olsen Racela along with his younger brother Nash, who calls the shots for FEU men's cage team, and Alaska assistant Alex Compton but all negotiations failed to materialize.

That paved the way for the stunning promotion of Ticzon, a former Ateneo ace in the UAAP who also played for the defunct Shell in the 90s.

Ticzon will be the third head coach of GlobalPort since the Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. bought the franchise from the Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. in July, 2012.

Glenn Capacio, the current skills coach, first handled the squad on an interim basis in the previous Philippine Cup before Baculi took over the coaching mantle, even leading the Batang Pier to a breakthrough quarterfinals finish in the just-concluded Governors Cup.

Ticzon will inherit a revamped GlobalPort crew that has nine new faces acquired in the rookie draft and trades led by up-and-coming RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo and veteran center Eric Menk.