Solid program brings beautiful problem for De Brito
Coach Jorge Souza De Brito’s definition of a problem may not be the same as everyone else’s.
But there’s a good reason for that.
After a string of impressive performances across two international tournaments, Alas Pilipinas now finds itself brimming with options for the SEA V.League in August and the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
“This problem is good, but again, it’s a lot of job to do,” De Brito said. “The SEA V.League is one month from now. There’s no break. We start [training] this week again.”
That workload comes courtesy of two different groups of players proving their worth on the court.
Last year’s core—captained by the steady Jia De Guzman and bolstered by the firepower of Angel Canino, Eya Laure and Dell Palomata—lifted the Philippines to an unprecedented Asian Volleyball Confederation final appearance. The squad also earned a runner-up finish at the Women’s Nations Cup.
Alongside them, a fresh wave of rising stars made a compelling case for inclusion. UAAP Rookie of the Year Shaina Nitura showcased her potential in her first stint with the senior team. Meanwhile, in Vietnam’s VTV Women’s International Cup, Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips—still awaiting FIVB clearance to officially change federations—showed flashes of the caliber they could bring to the fold.
Even in a fourth-place finish, newcomers like Leila Cruz, Alleiah Malaluan, Tia Andaya, Justine Jazareno and Amie Provido delivered moments of promise that didn’t go unnoticed.
“I really believe that we need a core of players,” he said. “We need to bring this core to many competitions and have time to practice. Of course, you can put up big names. But we need to grow as a team—not just adding stars. We need to put them inside a system and make sure they feel comfortable there.”
That system was tested in Vietnam, where Alas fought through Pool A with a 2-1 record, dominating Australia and China’s Sichuan club before bowing to Russia’s Korabelka in the semifinals. Despite falling short of the podium, De Brito was encouraged by how the team performed.
“It’s the chemistry that we need,” he said. “It comes with more time together, more good games at a high level. We had some good matches there—against Russia, against Vietnam. But you have to maximize your potential to play against these teams. If you play down, you’re only going to score 15 points in a set.”
As Alas gears up for the SEA V.League legs in Vietnam and Thailand next month, De Brito knows he can trust any player to step in—and that, in itself, is a win for Philippine volleyball.
“I’m really happy,” he said. “If we have any problem during competition, we can use any player to do another position. That’s the level we want—always ready, always growing.”
