FROM the outside looking in, it couldn't be argued anymore that the University of the Philippines has built a winning legacy in UAAP men’s basketball - quite possibly the most successful squad of the decade.
But inside Diliman, what they’ve built is much bigger than just sport.
The Fighting Maroons are family.
And entering their fifth straight trip to the finals, UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde was sentimental, as he reflected on a huge piece of that yet-again championship-bound puzzle he won’t have for much longer.
State U’s ‘Maroon 5’ composed of departing seniors Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda are down to the last two - or three - games in their collegiate careers.
READ: With hearts of Gold, UP's 'Maroon 5' takes stage for last time
Having forged an unbreakable bond from their Sampaloc stint to their ascent in Diliman, the goodbyes won’t come easy once the maroon-and-green quintet ride into the sunset at season’s end.
What’s certain, however, is that in Monteverde’s eyes, they stopped being just players a long time ago.
After nearly a decade together, they’re his very own.
“Hindi na rin player ang tingin ko sa mga ‘yan. Parang mga anak ko na ‘yan. It will always come with heart,” Monteverde told SPIN.ph.
Part of Monteverde’s coaching philosophy since the beginning has been to see every team as more than their roles on the court.
Title drive for 'Maroon 5'
And with these five in particular, he knows he’ll always carry them with him, having watched them grow through basketball’s highs and lows for as long as he can remember.
“Sa akin kasi, kapag nagko-coach ka, you don’t treat them as players. They’re people,” he said.
“‘Yung relationship namin, it goes way back kaya palagi ko rin tine-treasure ‘yan. Whatever ‘yung ginagawa namin sa buhay, ito 'baga, laging nasa heart ko ‘yung mga ‘yan.”
As UP braces for another finals war, Monteverde knows the moment won’t just be about chasing another title.
READ: And still, UP yet to miss the finals in this Goldwin era
It will also be about honoring the journey of the five players who helped turn the program from hopeful to historic, and whose last stand together will forever be etched in Fighting Maroons lore.
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