Chris Gavina leaves UE, Paolo Hubalde takes over head coaching post

HOPEFUL. New UE coach Paolo Hubalde hopes to turn the Red Warriors’ fortune around.

UAAP

The coaching change comes as the UE Red Warriors battle through a 22-game losing streak dating back to October 2024

AT A GLANCE

• Chris Gavina has been replaced by interim head coach Paolo Hubalde for the UE Red Warriors men's basketball team amid a 22-game losing streak.
• Hubalde, a former PBA player and UE legend, is expected to lead the team for the remainder of the season, inheriting a young roster.
• The coaching change aims to revitalize the program as UE seeks its first win of the season after a series of losses.

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MANILA, Philippines – UE will once again open a new chapter in its men’s basketball program.

Chris Gavina is no longer the coach of the Red Warriors as interim head coach Paolo Hubalde takes over the reins during their match against the FEU Tamaraws on Saturday, September 26.

Hubalde, a former PBA player and UE legend who returned to the Red Warriors’ program as an assistant coach in Season 89, is expected to be the team’s head coach for the rest of the season.

The coaching change comes as UE battles through a 22-game losing streak dating back to Season 87 in October 2024.

Gavina was not on the bench for UE’s game on Saturday. Assistant coaches Alex Cabagnot and Nick Demusis were also absent.

The Red Warriors opened the current season with losses to the Ateneo Blue Eagles by 27 points, and the NU Bulldogs by 20 points, extending a difficult stretch for the program.

Gavina leaves UE without a win in 16 games after taking over from Jack Santiago in 2025.

Santiago led the Red Warriors to six victories before UE fell in a playoff for the No. 4 seed in Season 87, missing a chance to make its first Final Four appearance in 15 years.

Hubalde now inherits a young roster featuring Nur Datumalim, Cole Cruz-Dumont, Tope Lagat and foreign reinforcements JM Edoukou and Ola Ajani.

The former UE point guard played for the Red Warriors in the mid-2000s, when the program featured stars such as Paul Artadi, James Yap, Niño Canaleta and Ronald Tubid.

Hubalde returns to a very different UE team, one still searching for stability and its first win of the season.

Hubalde will also balance his new role with his duties as UE’s junior high school basketball coach.

He will have help from active consultant Allan Caidic, another name linked to the head coaching vacancy, along with assistant coach RJ Argamino.

For UE, the change marks another attempt to turn the page and begin rebuilding the Red Warriors into a competitive program. – Rappler.com