EVERY time the UAAP comes around, there's a certain level of anticipation for the old faithful of University of Santo Tomas, a school that’s always been enthusiastic about their Growling Tigers.
Unfortunately, that passionate fanbase had very little reason for excitement over the past two seasons, as their squad had a grand total of three wins against 25 losses in that stretch.
To this day, those 25 defeats remain on Nic Cabanero's mind - alongside the motivation to make sure that can no longer be the case in the upcoming UAAP Season 87.
“Excited ako. I’m really excited to play for this team that’s composed of good players. Excited din ako makita niyo yung teammates ko to represent yellow, black and gold,” said UST's leading scorer last season.
For the longest time, Cabanero has been the lone bright spot for the Growling Tigers – putting up 17.6 points per game over the past two seasons, all while establishing himself as one of the best pure scorers in the league.
But that offensive brilliance didn’t translate to victories for the proud Growling Tigers, who have been in a funk the past few years, as they were left to pick up the pieces from the controversial “Sorsogon Bubble” which saw the disintegration of what was once a promising team coached by Aldin Ayo.
This time though, there are plenty of things to look forward to, with Cabanero finally getting much-welcome help in the addition of two brilliant guards in Fortshky Padrigao and Kyle Paranada – two of the best guards from Season 85 who will finally don the black and gold.
Padrigao was vital in Ateneo’s last championship run, putting up averages of 11.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.4 steals as the Blue Eagles’ lead guard in Season 85.
Paranada, on the other hand, broke out for UE in the same season with norms of 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals to his name.
At the same time, UST snagged key recruits out of high school in the form of NCAA Juniors MVP Amiel Acido and Fil-Canadian Gilas Pilipinas Youth ace Zain Mahmood to add youth and ceiling to their frontline for the next five years.
Cabanero's cavalry has arrived
That’s why Cabanero can’t wait for the season to come around, because for the first time in his UAAP career, he’ll be going in with a formidable squad that’s ready for success.
“[This team is] much better. Dito din mate-test on how I can play my role. Kung ano man ang papagawa ng coaches sa'kin, I’m up to the challenge. I’ll be ready to take charge,” he said.
“Maganda ang samahan namin. We’ve been together for almost one year. They took their residency last year 'di ba?” he continued.
“Malaking bagay yun sa'min to know each other personally. We know they came from different backgrounds, but our team is composed of Fil-Ams and Filipinos, so parang wala kaming boundaries sa team. I hope that chemistry, yung pagiging jelled namin as a team, madala namin sa coming season.”
Even more, the Growling Tigers did not only get better when it comes to on-court personnel, their coaching staff leveled up as well.
In the second year of former UAAP champion Pido Jarencio’s encore in Espana, the beloved head coach brought along to the fold another ex-UAAP title winner in Juno Sauler, as well as longtime San Miguel assistant Peter Martin.
READ: UST adds Juno Sauler, Peter Martin to Pido's coaching staff
With the right personnel and some of the brightest minds on the bench guiding them, there really isn’t anywhere to go for UST but up.
“This is good. We have more time and preparation under this system and alam niyo naman si coach Pido, lagi niya kaming gina-guide, lalo na ako as one of the leaders of this team,” Cabanero shared.
“Malaking bagay sa'min yung additiong ng two new coaches. Ngayon, makikita yung bagong system namin and kung paano namin ipe-prepare yung self namin, hindi lang physically, but mentally, emotionally.”
Nic's new role, new goal
But just how far can the Growling Tigers go? For Cabanero, it starts with how he elevates his game from being a brilliant scorer to one of the best two-way threats in the league.
With Paranada and Padrigao now at point, Cabanero's offensive burden has been eased – allowing him to focus on other facets of his game, particularly his defense.
After all, Tomasinos already know what to expect from him when it comes to putting the ball in the hoop, but they’ve yet to see him as a defender. That’s something he wants to show in this season.
“Personally, naka-focus ako sa pagiging two-way player ko. We all know nag-excel na ako offensively, so gusto ko ipakita na there’s a part of Nic Cabanero who can play defense,” he said.
“Gusto ko maging 3-and-D player din ako. Let’s see what happens this season. I’ll just do my best and be ready for the challenge.”
With that being said, it’s certain that the days of the Growling Tigers having to scrap for a win or two in a 14-game tournament are already behind them.
While they already have the experience, personnel, and right mentors behind them, however, Cabanero knows that it’s going to take a lot of effort for them to turn those offseason changes into in-season success.
“What you can expect from us is more wins. But before I can say that, we need to focus on the present. Whatever the adjustments we need to have for this team, we’re just gonna [do it],” he said.
“Willing kami to adjust sa kung anong ipapagawa ng coaches namin this season. Siyempre hindi mawawala yung goal namin to be in the championship, the Final Four. 'Di talaga mawawala yan,” he added.
“But before that, before mangyari yan, we have to take it slow, trust the process, and take it one game at a time.”
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