THERE might be a lot of changes entering the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament, but the favorites remain the same.
Even with personnel changes for redemption-seeking University of the Philippines and a La Salle squad losing Mike Phillips, what’s left of these teams pretty much still hold the power to forge a fourth straight meeting in the UAAP Season 89.
And most of the head coaches would agree.
“I think you still gotta beat UP and La Salle and UST—the teams that made it to the Final Four last year,” said Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers.
“You gotta start there. But once you start showing that you're at a level of beating those teams, then you’ll see that you're now one of the top dogs in the league. And that's what we want to be.”
University of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio echoed the same sentiments as well, being the first squad on the outside looking in to the Season 88 podium after falling to State U last year.
"Obvious naman yun eh. Basta yung 1-2. Alam na natin yun, UP and La Salle. Kasi defending champion at runner-up eh. Di syempre sila pa rin," he said.
Could a new squad hoist the trophy?
Even with predictions leaning heavy to the Fighting Maroons and Green Archers anew, the rest of the teams weren’t totally written off of contention either.
For Jarencio, a ‘new color’ emerging on top would certainly be a welcome surprise.
“Diba maganda? Ibang kulay naman ang nandon. Lagi na lang sila eh. Tingnan natin, baka may tsamba.”
And it wasn’t just the seasoned shotcallers that are wary of a potential surprise champion.
No less than Ateneo lead tactician Louie Alas had a different lineup of teams to beat for the upcoming season, one that surprisingly didn’t even make it to the big dance last year.
“Tingin ko yung pinakamalakas ah, UP and FEU, then La Salle, NU. Then, yung apat na natitira, we have to gatecrash dun sa apat na yan para makapasok sa Final Four," he said.
“FEU kasi, veterans yan. Like what Coach Sean said, nine yung holdovers niya. Eh, UP, grabe ang recruitment niyan. Kami okay sana nawalan lang kami ng big men. But, we're there,” Alas added.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
