WILL the third time be the charm?
After finishing as bridesmaid in the past two seasons, the University of the Philippines begins its quest for another title run on Saturday as it raises the curtain to the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Fighting Maroons coach Goldwin Monteverde understands the immense pressure being placed on his boys to win the cup anew – one that it last lifted when the league was still in a bubble setup back in mid-2022.
From their offseason additions headlined by the arrival of Fil-Am center Quentin Millora-Brown and Gilas Pilipinas Youth star Jacob Bayla, to their stellar preseason performance anchored by holdovers JD Cagulangan, Francis Lopez, Harold Alarcon, and Gerry Abadiano, the Iskos have definitely set themselves up well.
But knowing Monteverde’s usual ethos, all he wants is to see constant improvement.
“We want to stick with the process that we know, na we want to improve on every game, every season,” the mild-mannered mentor said.
Quite frankly, when you finish second the past two years, the natural next step should be to place first, right?
And how fitting is it that UP’s first test to open this brand new campaign will be against a familiar rival – Ateneo, which it battled in three straight championship duels from Seasons 82, 84, and 85.
Exceeding expectations
The Blue Eagles will be the first team to test this fortified Fighting Maroons side and although this may not be the Ateneo of old, remember that this is still Battle of Katipunan.
Tab Baldwin, for all of the talks of his uncertain future, is still in blue and white. New Zealand can knock all it wants, but the American-Kiwi mentor’s focus is still in the next 14 games, or more, for Loyola Heights.
It’s an unfamiliar situation for the Blue Eagles being regarded as underdogs, but that’s how it is for a UAAP kingdom which is projected to once again see a La Salle-UP rematch in the Finals.
Now, Ateneo knows that it must play to its full potential with what it has every single game, with Chris Koon, Sean Quitevis, and rookie Jared Bahay anchoring the attack.
And speaking of Bahay, his presence should also add color to the first game of the season scheduled at 6:30 p.m., with the blue side expected to shower the Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu guard with all their love.
Their maroon counterparts, on the other hand? Anticipate them to hurl every bit of vitriol against the neophyte who spurned them for their neighbors.
But Monteverde maintained that though UP is considered as the favored party in this clash, State U cannot rely on reputation alone and must also play up to their potential.
“We’re still working on ourselves day-by-day. We want to keeping ourselves together, working together para mapaayos ang team every day,” he said.
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