Cholo Villanueva is making his return to the MPBL and will take over as new mentor of Manila beginning the league’s preseason tournament on December 11.
Villanueva last coached the Makati Super Crunch but had a falling out with the management of the squad.
After posting a 20-4 win-loss record, Villanueva and his key players from Makati—ex-pros Simon Atkins, Rudy Lingganay, Jeckster Apinan, Juneric Baloria, Cedric Ablaza, and Josh Torralba among others—decided not to show up in the team’s game against the Bacoor Strikers in Cebu as a sign of protest to the management, which has gone on a different direction.
Villanueva joined the Pampanga Giant Lanterns later on to assist former PBA coach and veteran mentor Bong Ramos.
A former UAAP finals MVP, Villanueva entered the PBA in 2008, when he was selected 13th pick overall by Air21, but his playing stint was short lived and immediately embarked into coaching as he became a member of the coaching staff of Air21, JRU Heavy Bombers, and GlobalPort Batang Pier.
He also served as head coach of the De La Salle Lady Archers in the UAAP.