Godfrey Okumu looks to sharpen a specific aspect of Galeries Tower's game as he begins his tenure as head coach in the PVL.
Godfrey Okumu was quick to admit that he didn't expect to become Galeries Tower's new head coach after Lerma Giron's sudden exit.
The offer came through a phone call while he was out of the country. But for the longtime assistant, it was a responsibility too important to pass up.
“Of course, being one of the members of the coaching staff of the team, I think it was a noble thing to accept the position. I'm excited to see how far I can push the team,” Okumu told reporters.
[ALSO READ: PVL: Godfrey Okumu takes the reins as Galeries Tower head coach]
Having been with the Highrisers since joining the league in 2023, Okumu expects the transition to be relatively seamless. But he acknowledges that being in charge comes with a different weight.
“The idea is to improve the team. That's the number one thing that I would like to do. The team is good. They have improved up to here,” he shared. “The management thinks that they need the team to go further. I'll just go in and try to do that.”
The Kenyan tactician inherits a youthful yet promising roster led by Jean Asis, Julia Coronel, and Jewel Encarnacion.
However, Okumu was also candid about the biggest issue he wants to address with the team—closing out matches.
With the Highrisers showing flashes of competitiveness but often falling short in crunch time, Okumu hopes that sharpening their endgame execution will be the key to unlocking their next breakthrough.
“We go five sets, we reach 24-all, 22-all. The idea is finishing well. How do we play to finish the game? How do we finish the sets? The closure,” he emphasized.
“We’ve been playing well, but then we just lose games like that. What we want to try to push more is the closure, finishing with power.”