Former TNT and Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Yuri Escueta was named as the new head coach of San Beda while former mentor Boyet Fernandez still remains with the team as its team consultant.
Red Lions team manager Jude Roque confirmed the development on Tuesday.
“It's now official. Yuri Escueta is the new head coach of the San Beda Red Lions. A former San Beda juniors standout and a proud Coach Ato Badolato protégé, said the Red Lions in a statement.
“Yuri returns to his high school alma mater with a rich basketball coaching knowledge gained from several outstanding tacticians from his college days to his various coaching stints as assistant coach for Ateneo, Gilas, and TNT,” it added.
Fernandez, meanwhile, will stay as part of the coaching staff along with former Red Lions Jenkins Mesina, Alex Angeles and Francis Cruz in the coaching staff, along with former Ateneo player Andre Santos.
The coaching revamp came at the heels of a disappointing finish for the youth-laden San Beda in Season 97 where it missed out on the finals for the first time in the last 14 seasons. The Red Lions also failed to finish within the top two for the first time in 17 years.