BY John Miles Arcenal
BETTER Basketball was never just a brand.
For founder Patrick Tancioco, it's a belief in the mind and feeling in that heart that greatness is never final - because there’s always a next level to reach.
On Monday afternoon, that belief took on a new form, as Tancioco, also the player development coach for UAAP defending champion University of the Philippines, and business partner Cedric Niu, opened the doors to ARC87, the brand’s first-ever physical store located at the second floor of the Dilimall inside the Diliman campus.
The opening drew in a familiar crowd - Fighting Maroons, Tancioco's non-State U clients and trainees, brand ambassadors, and close friends - all gathered to celebrate what Tancioco called a milestone born from years of passion and persistence.
“Better Basketball is never ending,” he said. “You’re always in the process of becoming what you want, and when you reach that, there’s always the next level.”
That message runs through every thread of ARC87’s merchandise. The designs, crafted in collaboration with creative director Abraham Finney Santos, stay true to the brand’s spirit which is inspired by the everyday grind of athletes constantly chasing improvement.
“We just don’t want mainstream designs,” Tancioco shared. “We want something people would really connect with.”
I'm on the next level
But ARC87 is more than a clothing store. With the brand name inspired by UP's UAAP Season 87 title run, it's also an extension of Better Basketball itself - an upstart brand on its way up that has, and will continue to do so, helped players from the grassroots to the pros.
Through the years, Tancioco has worked with talents like Converge super rookie Juan Gomez de Liano, Meralco rising star CJ Cansino, and KBL Rookie of the Year JD Cagulangan all the way to current key contributors for the Fighting Maroons in Harold Alarcon, Jacob Bayla, and Rey Remogat.
READ: Train from Butuan takes JD Cagulangan all the way to Korean dream
And all of them won't even have to think twice that the day-by-day self-improvement Tancioco preaches, indeed, has made them better.
Now with the store’s launch, the skills coach hopes to inspire players and fans alike to wear what they believe in.
“This is just the first step,” he said. “We’ll keep learning from the process, because there’s always a next level.”
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