Sentinels’ VALORANT team is undergoing changes as they let go of coach Kaplan, sign Ewok, and begin a rebuild for the remainder of 2026.
Sentinels is mounting a rebuild, beginning with signing Marthinus Jacobus "Ewok" van der Walt, as they drop coach Adam "kaplan" Kaplan, who has been with the org since 2022, over disagreements with roster decisions. Sentinels CEO Rob Moore went on stream to answer some burning questions and explain the org's side behind the decision, as well as let fans know their plans for the future.
Kaplan leaves SEN City, Ewok flies in from Pacific
The initial statement posted by Rob Moore on his social media announced both the departure of Kaplan and Ewok's signing.
Ewok is coming in from his time coaching Rex Regum Qeon in VCT Pacific. In his first split with RRQ (VCT 2025 Stage 1), they took home the trophy. RRQ also finished 2nd in Stage 2 and had two international appearances with Ewok as coach.
After Champs 2025, he was let go by RRQ. In the meantime, he became an occasional member of the analyst desk in VCT Pacific.
Meanwhile, this news meant the end of Kaplan's over 3-year stay in SEN City. It was he who led the team in their Masters Madrid win in 2024, and Moore expressed his gratitude. However, SEN was unable to find any results, especially after their disappointing 13th-16th place finish in Champs 2025, followed by a 9th-10th place exit in Americas Kickoff 2026.
Moore would then contextualize this decision in a streamed segment with Tarik "tarik" Celik. The main reason why the org is letting go of Kaplan was due to some internal disagreements.
It would seem that contractually, Kaplan had the final say when it came to roster moves. "He had the right [to make decisions], which we will never give again [to any future coach]," Moore said.
After their Champs run last year, Kaplan wanted to get Zachary Jude "zekken" Patrone off Duelist and Mohamed Amine "johnqt" Ouarid off IGL. This decision was a big one, and SEN management was not on board. In fact, Moore voiced out that he and the organization wanted to keep zekken under their fold.
But Kaplan's decision eventually pushed through, and zekken was let go. Zekken now plays for MIBR, while johnqt was bumped off the IGL role, which was taken by rookie Mirel Braco "Kyu" Hrustemovic. It seems that even the team was not on board with these decisions, as Moore revealed on the stream with Tarik.
Now, Sentinels is looking to rebuild, starting with the coach position.
Sentinels VALORANT to rebuild: "TenZ can show up any time."
Rob Moore was quick to confirm their plans to rebuild.
"We're looking to make a team that can win majors."
With Kaplan gone, the organization can now make roster changes they feel appropriate. The coach's absolute power is also gone, Moore confirmed.
The first change comes in the form of giving back the IGL mantle to johnqt. He also previewed that they will be letting go of at least two players on the current roster. Most likely, this will be Kyu and Yassin "reduxx" Aboulalazm.
As for bringing old SEN players back onto their VALORANT team, Moore was receptive to the idea. "If Zekken becomes a free agent again, I will be his first call."
Many are also looking forward to Tyson "TenZ" Ngo's return to professional VALORANT. "If TenZ wants to play he can show up any time and knock on my door and I'll figure out a spot on the roster for him," said Moore, so the ball is in TenZ's court.
Sentinels did not qualify for Masters Santiago. SEN VALORANT's next games will be on VCT 2026: Americas Stage 1, beginning April 10.
