THAT THREE POINTER by JD Cagulangan in the dying seconds of Game 3 between the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo Blue Eagles sealed the deal for the 36-year championship drought for the University of the Philippines.
For many students, it capped off an eventful week that saw the contentious national elections. Many of them were also preparing for their looming finals examinations.
Rica Alcazar, a third-year BA English Studies student, told Spin.ph that the win means reclaiming their “Atin ‘To” — a line that expresses hope in every game and in every step in the journey of an Isko; an Iskolar ng Bayan.
“It's a major comeback for UP. We waited 36 years for this moment, be it our last win from 1986, the same year as the EDSA Revolution. It's an honor to see this journey while still being a UP student,” Alcazar said.
“[N]ow, the victory is ours and it is sweet and surreal! It gave us an extra push to continue fighting the good fight. We never left!”
Therese Ungson, a third-year BA Comparative Literature student, said brought her a “different kind of hope”.
“[T]he hope that this event is a kind of retelling of something that happened 36 years ago already, a men’s basketball championship being won and a dictator being ousted,” Ungson said.
Jillian Velasco was still just in her first year in the university when she saw firsthand how the UP community would celebrate each hard-fought win for the Fighting Maroons.
In that year, the team entered the UAAP men’s basketball finals for the first time in 32 years to face the Blue Eagles in a “Battle of Katipunan” series.
Now, Velasco is a fourth year BA Journalism major, “[I]ba sa pakiramdam na maging parte ka ng isang historic feat. Wala man ako sa arena when they won, but it still felt like being part of that 15-000 crowd while in the comfort of my home at habang estudyante pa ako sa UP," she said.
Meanwhile, Shamae Molino, a fourth-year BS Mining Engineering student, exclaimed, “Nakaka-proud!”
She has been watching the games since 2018, when she first entered the university.
And, of course, just like anyone else, Molino said, “[H]indi ko makakalimutan yung winning shot ni Cagulangan.”
Ditto for Domic Raymundo, now in his fourth year in BS Mining Engineering, who felt honored to have entered school at the time the basketball program was on the rise. "I never imagined that I would witness UP winning a championship during my undergrad years," he said.
But even non-undergrads take full pride in that victory.
It's especially momentous for Rhianna Lilo-an, a BS Tourism 2017 graduate whose family owns UP Lutong Bahay. Set up in the 1980s, the carinderia has seen generations of Fighting Maroons — whom her titas fondly call their “anak-anakan” — eat under their roof.
“Sobrang daming athletes na same situation as them na ang team ay may drought sa championship,” Lilo-an said. "This win gave UP athletes the push or motivation na kaya din namin."
What these UP students thought of the Battle of Katipunan
The highly anticipated matchup between the Katipunan rivals was definitely a nerve-wracking one.
After all, Ateneo, led by champion coach Tab Baldwin, was gunning for a dynasty.
But despite the uphill battle, Alcazar said that the Maroons will "always deliver.”
“We're known as the UP Cramming Maroons for a reason (and yes, kumakapit kami sa tres!)” she said good-naturedly. (In the UP system, a grade of three is the minimum passing grade.)
Velasco never expected that UP would win a championship despite the changes with the lineup: the graduation of veterans, Bo Perasol stepping down as head coach.
“[A]s long as there is a Tab Baldwin in ADMU, the mastermind behind Ateneo's dominance, I really don't think a new formed team can easily topple that. Yung panalo nila versus Ateneo in the second round, ending that 39 game winning streak is already a feat in itself,” she said.
Raymundo said that UP had to play almost perfect basketball and keep it close until the final minutes for them to win.
“Going into the championship game I knew that UP had a fair chance of winning because they already beat them once during the final game of the elimination round.”
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