Jeff Napa (born September 19, 1981) is a Filipino professional basketball player and coach. He is the current head coach of the

NU Bulldogs The National University Bulldogs are the collegiate men's varsity teams of National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the ''Lady Bulldogs'' while the high school ...

in the UAAP and currently serving as an assistant for the

NorthPort Batang Pier The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides Nor ...

in the PBA. He previously coached the

Letran Knights The Letran Knights are the collegiate varsity teams representing Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the ''Lady Knights'', while the high school varsity t ...

in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Playing career

Jeff Napa 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 UAAP Season 64 is the 2001–02 athletic year of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, which was hosted by the Far Eastern University. Basketball Elimination round Bracket Overall championship race Juniors' division S ...

. 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 The De La Salle Green Archers (also known simply as the Green Archers) are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the Philippines. The women's varsity teams are generally referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The s ...

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 The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars. History The PBL was formed on Ma ...

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.

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 Aldin Valladolid Ayo (born October 15, 1977) is a Filipino basketball coach and politician who currently serves as head coach for the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He formerly played (in late 90s) and coached ...

who is now the head coach of the

in the UAAP. 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 The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

officials about his possibility to take over the coaching duty for Letran Knights. 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. 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 Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He also decided to stay in the NU Bullpups program as a team consultant. Napa's deputy Manabat, who is also the husband of volleyball player

Dindin Santiago-Manabat Aleona Denise "Dindin" Antonio Santiago-Manabat (born September 26, 1993) is a Filipino volleyball player. She played in the UAAP during her collegiate years for the NU Lady Bulldogs and started her professional career in the Philippine Super ...

, 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. Napa will be the second non-Letran alumnus to take the coaching job of the men's basketball team, after

Louie Alas Francisco Luis "Louie" Alas (born October 10, 1963) is a Filipino basketball head coach. He is the former head coach of the Letran Knights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Philippine Patriots in the ASEAN Basketball League. He ...

, 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.

Coaching record

Collegiate record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napa, Jeff 1981 births Filipino men's basketball coaches NU Bulldogs basketball players Filipino men's basketball players Living people Letran Knights basketball coaches