Jeff Napa
{{Short description|Filipino basketball player and coach}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Jeff Napa
| image =
| position = Head coach
| league = UAAP
| team = NU Bulldogs
| nationality = Filipino
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|9|19|mf=y}}
| birth_place =
| height_ft =
| weight_lbs =
| college = NU (1997/1998–2002)
| draft_year_pba =
| draft_pba =
| draft_team_pba =
| career_start = 2002
| career_end = 2005
| years1 = 2002–2003
| team1 = John-O
| years2 = 2003–2004
| team2 = Viva Mineral Water
| years3 = 2004–2005
| team3 = Fash Liquid Laundry Detergent{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/sports/242119/fash-teems-scorers-unity-cup|title=Fash teems with scorers for Unity Cup|newspaper=The Philippine Star|last=Villar|first=Joey|date=March 11, 2004|accessdate=March 16, 2016}}
| coach_start = 2005
| cyears1 = 2005–2020
| cteam1 = NU (assistant)
| cyears2 = 2011–2016
| cteam2 = NSNU
| cyears3 = 2016–2018
| cteam3 = Letran
| cyears4 = 2019–present
| cteam4 = NorthPort Batang Pier (assistant)
| cyears5 = 2020
| cteam5 = CEU
| cyears6 = 2020–present
| cteam6 = NU
| highlights =
As head coach
- 3× UAAP Juniors Basketball champion (2011, 2013, 2015)
- Filoil Flying V Cup champion (2022)
As assistant coach
}}
Jefferson "Jeff" Napa (born September 19, 1981){{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/sports/2016/03/08/1560792/new-knights-coach-jeff-napa-looks-forward-challenge|title=New Knights coach Jeff Napa looks forward to challenge|newspaper=The Philippine Star|last=Olivares|first=Rick|date=March 8, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}} is a Filipino professional basketball player and coach. He is the current head coach of the NU Bulldogs in the UAAP and currently serving as an assistant for the NorthPort Batang Pier in the PBA. He previously coached the Letran Knights in the NCAA.
Playing career
Jeff Napa{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tn42AAAAIBAJ&sjid=hCUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1099%2C41927255|title=NU Bulldogs in fighting form|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=July 6, 2001|accessdate=March 8, 2016}} was part of the first-ever NU Bulldogs men's basketball team that made it to the Final Four phase of the UAAP basketball tournament in UAAP Season 64.
He also tied the record held by Allan Caidic for the most number of three-points made in a single UAAP game. However, the Bulldogs did not advance in the Finals series after their loss against De La Salle Green Archers in the final four series.
After his collegiate basketball career, Napa played for the teams John-O, Viva Mineral Water and Fash Liquid Laundry Detergent in the Philippine Basketball League.
Coaching career
In 2005, Manny Dandan, the then-head coach of NU Bulldogs invited Napa to join the team as an assistant coach and he later accepted it. Napa was later appointed as Head Coach of NU Bullpups junior's basketball team where he successfully steered three championships (Season 74, 76 and 78) with the squad in the last five years.{{cite news|url=http://www.foxsportsasia.com/news/letran-set-name-jeff-napa-knights-new-head-coach/|title=Letran set to name Jeff Napa as Knights new head coach|publisher=Fox Sports Asia|last=Lagunzad|first=Jerome|date=March 7, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
=Move to Letran Knights=
Napa emerged as one of the frontrunners for the coaching job of the Letran Knights, replacing NCAA Season 91 men's basketball champion coach Aldin Ayo who is now the head coach of the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP.{{cite news|url=http://www.spin.ph/basketball/ncaa/news/jeff-napa-head-coach-letran-knights-nu-bullpups|title=NU juniors coach Jeff Napa has inside track on Letran Knights coaching job|publisher=Spin.ph|last=Terrado|first=Reuben|date=February 26, 2016|accessdate=February 26, 2016}} Right after the championship run of NSNU Bullpups on the UAAP Season 78 juniors basketball tournament, Napa openly admitted in an interview that he is in talks with the Colegio de San Juan de Letran officials about his possibility to take over the coaching duty for Letran Knights.{{cite news|url=http://www.spin.ph/basketball/ncaa/news/jeff-napa-letran-knights-new-head-coach|title=Jeff Napa was formally named Letran Knights head coach in press conference|publisher=Spin.ph|last=Terrado|first=Reuben|date=March 7, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}} The search committee unanimously voted for Napa after a series of interviews of applicants including Napa, Mapua Cardinals assistant coach Randy Alcantara, Adamson Falcons assistant coach Mike Fermin, and Letran alumnus Elvis Tolentino.{{cite news|url=http://sports.abs-cbn.com/ncaa/news/2016/03/08/napa-unanimous-choice-letran-search-committee-9495|title=Napa a unanimous choice for Letran search committee|publisher=ABS-CBN Sports|last=Riego|first=Norman Lee Benjamin|date=March 8, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
On March 8, 2016, Napa was appointed as the new head coach of Letran Knights men's basketball team in a news conference held at the Salon de Actos in the Letran's main campus in Intramuros, Manila.{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/sports/2016/03/07/1560506/letran-formally-name-jeff-napa-knights-coach|title=Letran to formally name Jeff Napa as Knights coach|newspaper=The Philippine Star|date=March 7, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.rappler.com/sports/university/ncaa/125047-jeff-napa-new-letran-knights-coach|title=Jeff Napa named new Letran Knights coach|work=Rappler|last=Bracher|first=Jane|date=March 8, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
He also decided to stay in the NU Bullpups program as a team consultant. Napa's deputy, Chico Manabat, who is also the husband of volleyball player Dindin Santiago-Manabat, took over as head coach of the Bullpups starting Season 79. Manabat, Jay Agleron, and Leo Pujante also joined the coaching staff of the Knights.{{cite news|url=http://tiebreakertimes.com/tbt/napa-takes-on-new-challenge-as-letran-head-coach/51841|title=Napa takes on new challenge as Letran head coach|publisher=Tiebreaker Times|last=Li|first=Matthew|date=March 8, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
Napa will be the second non-Letran alumnus to take the coaching job of the men's basketball team, after Louie Alas, who handled the team that won three championships in NCAA men's basketball.
= Return to National University =
Napa will return to National University, this time coaching the seniors team NU Bulldogs starting in 2022.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-09 |title=Jeff Napa returns home as NU Bulldogs head coach |url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/jeff-napa-returns-home-nu-bulldogs-head-coach/ |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=RAPPLER |language=en-US}}
Coaching record
=Collegiate record=
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |Season ! rowspan="2" |Team ! colspan="5" |Elimination round ! colspan="5" |Playoffs | |||||||||
| Finish
!GP !W | L | PCT | GP | W | L | PCT | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | rowspan="3" | CSJL | 6th
|18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | —
|— |— |— |Eliminated | |||
| 2017 | 5th
|18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 4th seed playoff |
| 2018 | 3rd
|18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Semifinals |
| 2021 | rowspan="4" | NU | 6th
|14 | 6 | 8 | .429 | —
|— |— |— |Eliminated | |||
| 2022 | 3rd
|14 | 9 | 5 | .643 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Semifinals |
| 2023 | 3rd
|14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Semifinals |
| 2024
|7th |14 |5 |9 |.357 |— |— |— |— |Eliminated | |||||||||
| colspan="3" | Totals
! 110 | 61 | 49 | .583 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 0 championships |
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| before = Aldin Ayo
| title = Letran Knights men's basketball head coach
| after = Bonnie Tan
}}
{{succession box
| before = Jamike Jarin
| title = NU Bulldogs men's basketball head coach
| years = 2020–present
| after = incumbent
}}
{{s-end}}
{{NorthPort Batang Pier current roster}}
{{NU Bulldogs 2014–15 UAAP Men's Senior Basketball Champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napa, Jeff}}
Category:Filipino men's basketball coaches
Category:NU Bulldogs basketball players
Category:Filipino men's basketball players
Category:Letran Knights basketball coaches