THREE years ago, the University of the Philippines didn't have a Filoil Preseason title in its trophy case.
Now, the Fighting Maroons are on the cusp of a third consecutive championship - which will reward them with the first-ever ECJ Perpetual Trophy.
This recent success in the premiere preseason tournament mirrors State U's rise as a power in the UAAP, where it claimed two trophies in the last four seasons.
Prior to the breakthrough in 2022, though, the maroon and green didn't even advance to the Filoil Preseason Final Four.
Of course, back then, they didn't have one Goldwin Monteverde calling the shots.
Gold doesn't get old
With the soft-spoken yet strong-willed mentor at the helm, UP has been living up to its monicker.
Already having lost Finals MVP JD Cagulangan and Quentin Millora-Brown after the UAAP season, the Fighting Maroons then saw the departures of Aldous Torculas and Francis Lopez, while also unveiling a first-year foreign student-athlete (FSA) in Francis Nnoruka.
Still, they fought - and continued fighting no matter what.
"Yung FSA natin, bago. Si Noy [Remogat], galing UE and getting to know pa mga kakampi. 'Di rin pwede balewalain yung Lopez at Torculas na nawala. Marami tayong, in a way, mga veterans na nawala," Monteverde told SPIN.ph.
That fighting spirit was very much evident in the 2025 edition of the preseason tourney, where they had to fall in line behind La Salle and University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Group at the close of elims, setting them up for a quarterfinal face-off with NCAA No. 2 Benilde.
There, they were nearly at the wrong end of a comeback by the Blazers, as Raffy Celis' triple try at the buzzer was halfway down before deciding to roll out.
And so, coming off a subpar showing that almost ended in their reign, UP moved on to a showdown with modern-day rival La Salle, with the latter already having gotten the better of the former in the elimination round, 106-99.
Early on, the result looked like it would stay the same, as the Green Archers were in command for majority of the matchup.
But the Fighting Maroons kept coming and were only down one inside the last two minutes before Remogat put on the cape Cagulangan once wore and hit back-to-back threes that went tight through La Salle's heart - as well as its championship hopes.
READ: Remogat rallies UP past La Salle, into third straight Filoil finals
"Tayo, laban lang no matter what happens. 'Di tayo aatras," said Monteverde, staying true to what he has always preached to his wards. "Yung team naman natin, ang palaging iniisip, paano tayo gumaling pa."
With that, UP is on the doorstep of Filoil Preseason history, as one more win would give it the right to call itself the tourney's first and only three-peat winner.
While it would be easier said than done against dogged and determined National U, it wouldn't be farfetched to see the Maroons turn their fighting chance into a winning celebration once more.
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