Defending NCAA champion Letran has installed Rensy Bajar as its new head coach for the upcoming Season 99.

Photo (from left to right): Dennis Abella, representative of Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla, Letran athletic director Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, Letran rector Fr. Clarence Victor Marquez, new head coach Rensy Bajar, and outgoing head coach Bonnie Tan.

The 47-year-old mentor formally signed his two-year contract on Monday, April 24, before Letran rector Fr. Clarence Victor Marquez, OP and athletic director Fr. Vic Calvo, OP as he succeeds Bonnie Tan at the helm.

Bajar understands the enormous shoes he has to fill for the Knights especially with the Muralla side coming off three straight NCAA seniors basketball titles.

"We're just continuing the legacy sa kung ano mang sinimulan ni coach Bonnie, yung winning culture na nabuo na dito sa Letran," he said.

With Letran seeking a four-peat and a 21st seniors basketball crown, Bajar will depend on veterans Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillonar, Kobe Monje, and Andrey Guarino to lead the charge while also welcoming new recruits, among them transferee Deo Cuajao.

Proof of that continuity is the retention of assistants Raymund Tiongco and Lou Gatumbato, conditioning coach Rap Avenido, and assistant team manager Joey Uy, with the additions of Matthew Sia and John Paul Caparas in the staff.

"Nangangako kaming coaches every game na ibibigay namin ang lahat. Mahirap man pero lahat posibleng mangyari. Kaya ipagpapatuloy lang namin yung ginagawa namin before with the guidance of coach Bonnie," said Bajar.

It's also a historic signing for Letran with Bajar becoming the first Knights head coach to come from its archrival San Beda.

He was a star guard for the Red Lions in the mid-1990s and played alongside Ralph Rivera before becoming a third-round selection in the 2002 PBA Draft, spending six seasons in the league between Shell and Alaska.

This, though, isn't Bajar's first go-round, with him previously handling University of the Philippines for a year back in UAAP Season 78 in 2015.

He is also the head coach and athletic director for Diliman College, steering the Blue Dragons to back-to-back UCBL crowns in 2018 and 2019, while serving as Tan's deputy in Letran since 2019 and as an assistant coach role for NorthPort in the PBA since 2017.

Aside from Bajar, Letran also welcomed Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla as its new chief backer and new team manager.