Kungfu Reyes
| Kungfu Reyes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||
| Full name | Emilio Reyes Jr. | ||||||
| Nickname | Kungfu | ||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||
| Born | May 2, 1981 | ||||||
| Hometown | Lucena, Quezon | ||||||
| College / University | University of Santo Tomas | ||||||
| Coaching information | |||||||
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| Career | |||||||
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Emilio "Kungfu" Reyes, Jr. (born May 2, 1981)[1][2] is a Filipino volleyball coach and former player.
Career
[edit]In the UAAP, Reyes played for the UST Golden Spikers, who won the title in Seasons 61, 63, and 65 (1999, 2001, and 2003), and finished as runners-up in Seasons 62 and 64 (2000 and 2002).[3] After college, Reyes returned as a player and team captain of the Philippine Army Troopers, who were debuting in the 2016 Reinforced Conference of the Spikers' Turf.[4]
Coaching career
[edit]UST
[edit]Reyes started his coaching career in 2004 as an assistant to coach Francis Vicente of the UST Junior Tigresses. He became head coach of the girls team in 2013,[5] helping them win four juniors titles.[3]
In April 2015, Reyes became the head coach of the senior UST Golden Tigresses team, taking over from Odjie Mamon.[3] As of 2024, Reyes is still coach of the team while simultaneously mentoring professional teams.[6]
In June 2025, Reyes was reassigned a sports director of the women's and girls volleyball program.[7]
Army Lady Troopers
[edit]While still UST coach, Reyes took a concurrent job as coach of the Philippine Army Lady Troopers in the Shakey's V-League in 2015.[8] In the 2016 season, he briefly coached the RC Cola-Army Troopers in the Philippine Super Liga.[5] Reyes followed the Lady Troopers when it left the SVL and joined the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).[9] He left the Lady Troopers in the 2023 First All-Filipino Conference.[10]
Cherry Tiggo Crossovers
[edit]In June 2023, Reyes joined the Chery Tiggo Crossovers as an assistant coach.[10] He was elevated to head coach of the team for the 2024 All-Filipino Conference.[11] He was later replaced by Norman Miguel in September 2024 and reassigned as an assistant coach.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Reyes is from Lucena, Quezon.[3] He is part of the Philippine Army, with the rank of staff sergeant as of 2020.[13] He is popularly known as Kungfu, a nickname given to him by his grandfather. Reyes explained that his grandfather compared him in his childhood to a "Shaolin master", due to his being fat, bald, and having slanted eyes.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "PVL: Choco Mucho routs Chery Tiggo". ABS-CBN News. May 2, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
Chery Tiggo maestro Kungfu Reyes, who is celebrating his birthday today
- ^ a b Lozada, Mei-Lin (June 6, 2017). "Ever wondered how Kungfu Reyes and Shaq delos Santos got their nicknames? We, too". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Lozada, Mei-Lin (June 17, 2015). "Kungfu Reyes just the man to bring best out of UST Tigresses, says former coach". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Flores, Migs (October 5, 2016). "Army thwarts 100 Plus in Kungfu Reyes' return to action". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Matel, Philip Martin; Ritumalta, Randell Angelo (October 25, 2016). "Volleyball never stops for 'Kung Fu' Reyes". The Varsitarian. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Chery Tiggo coaching shakeup gives Coach Kung Fu more time to focus on Golden Tigresses". The Varsitarian. September 19, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Shaq is back: UAAP champ coach Delos Santos returns at UST women's volleyball helm". Rappler. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Villar, Joey (October 25, 2015). "Lady Troopers survive Valdez-less Lady Ultrafast Spikers". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Kungfu Reyes proud to see Army experience volleyball's new guard". Tiebreaker Times. November 21, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Kung Fu Reyes returns to PVL as assistant coach for Chery Tiggo". Fast Break. June 27, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Escarlote, Mark (February 2, 2024). "New Crossovers coach faces acid test". Daily Tribue. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "PVL: Norman Miguel replaces Kungfu Reyes as Chery Tiggo head coach". ABS-CBN News. September 17, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Lozada, Bong (April 8, 2020). "UST coach ready to serve in the frontline amid pandemic". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2025.