PHOTO: Premier Volleyball League Media Bureau

As cool and composed as he is on the court, Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses calmly answered the question of handling criticism from the Cool Smashers fans, especially if their favorite players are benched.

In an interview during the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing between the Rebisco-owned club and Asia United Bank’s Hello Money, Meneses told Radyo Natin Nationwide that he ignores the issues about his coaching decisions.

“Number one naman, hindi ko masyado talaga pinapansin yung mga ganyang issue,” said Meneses, who replaced Thai coach Tai Bundit as Creamline mentor in 2022. “Focus lang kami sa team namin.”

(First and foremost, I don’t really pay much attention to those kinds of issues. We just focus on our team.)
In the Second All-Filipino Conference of the Premier Volleyball League last season, Alyssa Valdez supporters called out Meneses for benching The Phenom.
This after Valdez only started once in Creamline’s first six matches while playing limited minutes and averaging just 3.83 points per game.
Meneses clarified that AV’s decreasing minutes has nothing to do with her past injuries but to allow other players to shine and crack themselves a role in the rotation.
At that time, their recruit Bernadeth Pons, who plays the same position as Valdez, was still meshing with the rest of the Creamline, so allowing her to show what she could do can benefit the whole team.
Considering the lengthy conference, Meneses also expressed that he was trying new things while reiterating Valdez as the heart and soul of the Cool Smashers.
Moreover, Meneses added that players who can help and are needed by Creamline on game days will get the chance to feel the hardcourt.
“Kung sino talaga yung makakatulong, sino yung kailangan sa game, sa court, so siya yung talaga pinipasok na.”
(Whoever can truly contribute, whoever is needed in the game, on the court, is the one who is really put in.)
Four titles, one runner-up finish, and a bronze medal since taking the coaching helm already speak so much about Meneses’ mentorship. Those are indeed the proofs of his quality and something anyone can’t take away from him.
Creamline and opposing team fans might scold him for benching their idols or beating them but he’ll only ignore them and focus on the bigger, more important goal, which is to always win.