BY Andrei Barrantes
IN two of the last four seasons in UAAP men's basketball, the University of the Philippines has stood by itself at the mountaintop.
Making the finals four times in a row, the Fighting Maroons ended a 36-year title drought in early 2022 before annexing another championship late last year.
Safe to say, the once-forlorn program is now - surprisingly enough - the gold standard in collegiate hoops.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for its high school squad.
As the likes of JD Cagulangan, Carl Tamayo, and Malick Diouf have been raising both the bar and trophies, the UP Integrated School remains winless in the ongoing boys' basketball tournament on the heels of only registering one win in each of the last two seasons.
And just in Season 87, the Jr. Maroons have been beaten down by 53 and 56 points.
So why can’t UP replicate its unprecedented success in the seniors over to UPIS? Wouldn't having a contending high school program also cultivate future prospects for its champion collegiate team?
The answer is all about academics.
UPIS requires a passing grade of 85-percent, much higher than those of other schools. As a laboratory of the UP College of Education, it puts a premium on, well, education - valuing scores on report cards much more than scores on stat sheets.
“Ever since nung batch pa namin sa UPIS, it’s been very hard to recruit just because of the academic standard that UPIS has. It’s very tough,” said first-year head coach King Vergeire, who once played alongside Gomez de Liano brothers Joe, Javi, and Juan wearing the maroon-and-green.
In addition, UPIS ensures equality among its varsity teams by evenly distributing its recruitment slots across all the sports it competes in.
In summary, the Jr. Maroons are handicapped when it comes to recruitment, while also having to enforce higher-than-average requirements on its players when it comes to grades.
Make no mistake, however, Vergeire acknowledges and understands the bigger picture the academic institution has for its students - and that includes the athletes that represent it.
For him, UPIS' passing grade is actually a badge of honor.
“What I preach rin naman sa players natin [is] life outside basketball is different. Not everyone is gonna be a basketball player or an athlete in the future. I have nothing against it naman na ‘yung academic standard is 85-percent, so I think it's very fair,” he said.
UP Fight, still
And so, despite their unfavorable standing and more than a few embarrassing defeats, Vergeire is glad to share that heads are still held high in their dugout, with the eagerness for the second round still very much alive.
“It’s very hard for us just because we’re a 0-7 team. Pero I believe as a coach, and my boys feel it too, it (winless record) doesn't define us," the young tactitician who took the reins from Paolo Mendoza said.
"Kumbaga we can do something better definitely and we will make the necessary adjustments sa second round.”
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