think rainbows

I've always talked about basketball when the UAAP starts, but now I think it's time to talk about something else regarding the UAAP as well. I think the UST Volleyball Team and the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe deserve a post here in my blog as well, even if volleyball is still at the 2nd half of the UAAP, and the cheerdance competition is not until September.

For the UST Volleyball Team, both men's and women's, I know they're both going to be missing important players on their rosters. Not sure who among the men's team, but for the women's team, it's goodbye for Rhea Dimaculangan, the awesome setter of the UST women's volleyball team. Her replacement though, Loren Lantin, has shown that she can also work wonders for the team during the finals against the Ateneo Lady Eagles in the Shakey's V-League. She may not be as good as Rhea yet, but I'm pretty sure she'll still improve in the coming days. I just hope they're all ready when the volleyball season starts, and I hope that UST will be able to make it to the finals still, and possibly, another championship for these volleyball players and the school. :)

Together with the basketball team, Salinggawi's season practically starts as well since they'd be doing halftime during basketball games. One shocking news before the UAAP season starts is that Ryan Silva, the awesome choreographer/coach of the UST-SDT since 2002, and the 5-peat architect as what they call him, won't be calling the shots anymore for the multi-titled dance squad. It is saddening since we've been used to Silva's ways, but maybe also a blessing in disguise since we'll be able to see something new and fresh from the Salinggawi Dance Troupe. I'm sure this wouldn't change their fighting spirit or the will to bring back the crown to Espana. Whoever will be calling the shots for Salinggawi now will have a hard time filling in those big shoes as the team's choreographer, but I know and I really do hope that they will still do their best. What I think SDT has to work on for the cheerdance competition are their tosses and lifts and all that kind of stuff. The UP Pep Squad can do it and make it look so effortless(yes, I can see that even if I'm a loyal UST-SDT fan), so why can't the Salinggawi do it like that? I know they can bring the crown back to UST. I'm sure it has been missing the Salinggawi too.

So right now, that's all for volleyball and cheerdance. I hope to see the Salinggawi perform on Saturday and give a good performance. And I hope that all the teams from UST do well in their respective competitions. Go USTe! =D

Time for another very biased post! Which just means, time to talk about UST and the Tigers according to Dindin! :))

UAAP season's starting on Saturday, and UST's UAAP campaign also starts on Saturday! But before all that, I would like to share my thoughts on how I think and I wish UST would fare this season. Not just in basketball, but in volleyball and cheerdance as well.

All in all, I would like UST to do really well this season. Not just bag another General Championship at the end of the season but to be able to do it with flying colors. Meaning, that our athletes perform really well for this 75th season of the UAAP. Other schools have been wanting to win that General Championship too, and this year's host school NU would surely be at the top of UST's to-watch-out-for list when it comes to the General Championship this year.

As I've mentioned, this Saturday, UST would also be starting their UAAP basketball campaign as they will be facing the FEU Tamaraws in the second game of the opening day double-header. First game would be the host school, the NU Bulldogs, against the UE Red Warriors. Now comes the basketball talk. =D

This has been big news in the collegiate basketball world for the past couple of days since it's one of the most anticipated ever since the where-will-Kiefer Ravena-go drama. It's the other JT, Jeron Teng.

Jeric Teng, Jeron's older brother, as we all know is part of the UST Growling Tigers. He's been playing for Coach Pido for three years now, and ever since Jeron entered his senior year, speculations of where he's going to in the UAAP has been circulating. It has been said of course that he would follow his brother's footsteps to Espana, but the possibility of going to other UAAP schools wasn't out of the question. With the talent that Jeron has, it wasn't surprising that even Ateneo and Lasalle are interested in him.

Jeron once scored 104 points during a game in the Tiong Lian league. (Check my post about it here.) His stats are something that you'd really want to see in your team. So when the announcement of where he was headed for college was made, everyone was all eyes and all ears. The choice: DLSU.

I first found out about it thru Jeric Teng's twitter account. Jeric tweeted: it would be weird but a challenge playing against @jeronteng next season of UAAP. :) have to work hard this offseason! 
Right then and there I knew that Jeron was going to some other UAAP school. I quickly checked Jeron's formspring and twitter accounts to see where he was headed. Indeed, it was DLSU. Jeric even tweeted about it again: @jeronteng will play for DLSU.


Jeron has been telling people up until last week that nothing was sure yet, and that they were just talking to different schools which includes Ateneo, NU and DLSU. There was no UST mentioned, so I'm not sure if UST did it on purpose that they did not recruit Jeron Teng, or there was just a better offer from the green and white. It was even mentioned at one point that the school was not talking to him. Of course I'm thinking, WHY???

Well, wherever Jeron's headed to, good luck to him. He'll also be a good addition to the Green Archers. Personally, I really wanted him to join his kuya since it would also be a big help for the team. But it would be interesting indeed to see him play against Jeric too. One thing's for sure, the upcoming seasons of the UAAP basketball are becoming more exciting, and pretty much, we'll be hearing more "Teng" during basketball games.

P.S.
I'm loyal. Go Jeric! :)

That last shot by Jeric Fortuna was on replay in my mind for a couple of hours as I was imagining different scenarios as to what could have happened instead.

1. Afuang inbounds the ball to Fortuna, the three point shot goes in, and who knows what could have happened in overtime. Of course I'm thinking, UST wins in overtime and we go to Game 2.
2. Afuang inbounds the ball to Fortuna, Fortuna makes the pass to an open Jeric Teng, and the three point shot goes in. Again, who knows what could have happened in overtime.
3. The three point shot, either by Fortuna or Teng, still doesn't go in.

It's a bitter pill to swallow to think that we almost had it but we didn't, and that there won't be any chances to get back at the opponent on the next game, for there won't be a next game. That was it. But the bitterness was swallowed by the mightiness that the Growling Tigers have shown.

UST started out strong, registering an early 4-0 lead against the Blue Eagles. You can see it in how they play that they really wanted to win this game. They led most of the time in the first quarter, thanks to Karim Abdul's mighty presence inside. At the end of the first quarter, score was tied at 18-all.

Ateneo's defense woke up in the second quarter and they started to pull away with the help of their bench players as Tonino Gonzaga put Ateneo ahead at 26-21. The Eagles went on a 11-4 run to grab a 38-28 lead, and eventually the first half ended with the Eagles on top, 38-30.

With eyes on the prize, Ateneo didn't want UST to get near at all as they surged ahead in the third quarter to register their biggest lead, 48-33, courtesy of Slaughter, Ravena, and Salva. Teng and Afuang managed to put UST within 48-37, but Greg Slaughter stopped the momentum with a slam to the delight of the blue side of the Coliseum. At the end of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles were still on top, 52-40.

At the back of my mind, I kept on thinking, kaya pa 'to, kaya pa, laban lang.

In their final elimination game, and with the third spot in the final four on the line, UST bowed down to NU with a score of 73-49.

In a game where you expect them to go all out, it just wasn't enough. The loss of big man Karim Abdul for this game due to his suspension for two unsportsmanlike fouls was greatly felt as UST just couldn't convert on the inside. Jeric Teng was still Jeric Teng as he scored 19 for the Tigers, the only one who scored in double-digits. Jeric Fortuna was held to 8 points, as rookie Kevin Ferrer was a non-factor in this game with just a single point. Chris Camus could have been a huge help but after he got that technical foul for trashtalking with Javillonar, he was not fielded in anymore, but still managed to finish with 5 points. It could have been a disciplinary action, or to rest his injured hamstring, or both, but I think he should've been given more minutes.

UST didn't get to take the lead away from the Bulldogs as Bobby Ray Parks made shot after shot, even the most impossible shot of them all to highlight his MVP performance. And the other Bulldogs just followed suit. Emmanuel Mbe didn't have much of a hard time against Paolo Pe or Kent Lao or Aljohn Ungria. To make matters even worse, Paolo Pe fouled out early in the third, making Coach Pido use Lao or Ungria at the middle.

Halftime score was 29-25. There was hope. But it didn't materialize as NU just went into full attack mode in the second half. I felt like UST was outrebounded as well, NU outhustled them. Parang nagkagulo na rin sa rotation ng players. Obviously they tried their best. But it wasn't good enough. Parang ang aga nila napagod. Everything that could've gone wrong was in this game. Hopefully maiwan na lahat ng mali sa game na 'to, because we need to be near 100% for Thursday's game.

Forget the eliminations. We're in the FINAL FOUR. PUSH!!

Not a lot of people are giving UST a chance to win on Thursday. Yes, it is a tall order for UST to beat Ateneo, as the Tigers were not even able to score a win against the Blue Eagles in the elimination rounds. Tambak pa in both games. But, it does not mean that they can't. It is going to be tough, the toughest game UST will be playing since the season has started. Hard work pays off. Do your best, and God will do the rest. Both teams are coming from losses, and I bet the team who wants it more should be able to win this game. All out. All heart.

Of course I am for the Tigers, and I know that they can at least extend this final four match up 'til Sunday once they believe in themselves that they can beat Ateneo. I want to see our Growling Tigers prove to everyone that we are true final four contenders. That we can match up even with the Blue Eagles. That we are no pushovers, and that we can surprise them. I read this from an article, and I'm using it here. ONE BIG BITE. ONE BIG BITE for the BLACK GOLD, BLACK WHITE! :) (oooooops. walang nakawan. hahaha!) Laban lang Tigers, andito na tayo e, sulitin na natin. Win or lose, we cheer go USTe! :)

P.S.
Oo super affected ako dun sa game last Sunday. Na-sad ako. It was a game we could've won din naman. Medyo nainis pa ko kay Coach Pido kasi nga hindi pinapasok si Camus. He could've been a great help. Oh well, time to move on. :))


Oh, and UST in the Final Four means Coach Pido won't resign. =D C'mon you guys, he's not a bad coach.


Parang nasa F ang kapalaran ng UST e. Ferrer. Fortuna. Fourth. Final Four. Four Hundred Years. Finals. First place. Pwede 'no? =))

UST won against Adamson last Saturday, 74-58, to further solidify their final four chances.
Just one more win, and they're in.
Their last two assignments are against FEU on Thursday, and against NU on Sunday. Then, we'll see.

Just like their first round meeting, Adamson made an early run at the start of the first quarter to lead UST, 9-0. Karim Abdul was the lone bright spot for UST in the first quarter as it ended with the Falcons ahead, 20-12. Adamson would then continue their hot shooting streak, and manage to lead by as big as 17 points in the second quarter, as UST just couldn't convert. Adamson was shooting three's, while UST was losing the ball. The Falcons enjoyed a 15-point lead, 42-27, at halftime.

It looked like it was going to be a blowout especially as to how Adamson's shooters kept on making their shots, and how UST was just sloppy. But things were about to make a huge turnaround. UST upped their defense and made their own run early in the third quarter, led by no other than Jeric Teng, to make it just a 7-point deficit. Jeric Fortuna joined in the party to put UST to within a point, before Eric Camson's putback gave Adamson a 3-point advantage. With the shot clock winding down, Teng found Fortuna as the latter hit a game-tier three pointer, to be followed by Teng's own three pointer to put UST up, 48-45. Adamson was still able to tie the game at 50-all, but a layup by Chris Camus put UST ahead again by two points, as the buzzer to signal the end of the third quarter sounded off.

UST never looked back from there. The Tigers got their cue from the captain himself as Fortuna led a huge UST rally in the fourth, to put UST at 61-52, with 6 minutes left. Lester Alvarez was fouled while attempting a triple, and put Adamson to within six as he made all of his freebies. But UST's shooters continued to convert in all their shots, as Teng and rookie Kevin Ferrer added their own three-pointers, which gave UST an 18-point lead, with only almost 2 minutes to go in the ballgame. Adamson only scored 16 points in the entire second half.

Jeric Teng led the other Tigers in terms of scoring as he made 20 points, 8 rebounds, and six assists. Jeric Fortuna had 15 points and 5 assists, while Karim Abdul and Chris Camus both had double double figures with 15 points/14 rebounds, and 13 points/11 rebounds, respectively. Kim Lo should also be given credit as he had some really important defensive stops as well during the game which helped UST make that run. It was just pure team effort from the Tigers that day, as they dedicated the win to Coach Pido Jarencio who's celebrating his birthday today, and to teammate Carmelo Afuang who sidelined the game due to gallbladder stones and won't be able to play for three weeks more.

This was a HUGE win for the Tigers, as it not only took them one win closer to entering the final four, but it also serves as a big morale booster for the team. They limited Adamson to just 16 points in the entire second half; but UST shouldn't always let themselves play catch up because that would be too risky. UST also still has a chance to tie Adamson at the no.2 spot, that is if UST wins their last two games, and if Adamson loses to Ateneo on Saturday. And if FEU wins against DLSU, then there will be a three-way tie at the no.2 spot. As for DLSU, if they sweep their remaining two games, and UST loses their remaining two games, then there will be a tie for fourth. But a loss will automatically eliminate DLSU.

I have nothing but hopes and prayers for the Tigers' continuous success. Sana, we'll be able to see another great game such as this one for the Tigers. Humble in victory, and gracious in defeat. It's a tougher road ahead, but we're still on the right track. Let's go Tigers, we can do this! Tuloy tuloy na talaga, wala nang balikan, walang bibitaw! :)) NEVER SAY DIE! BELIEVE! Go USTe! Go Tigers!! :)

P.S.
Sabi sa inyo manuod kasi kayo ng live. Ang saya saya magtatatalon at mag-cheer sa Araneta. Tapos magpa-picture kasama nila after, boo-yah! :))))

This game was unlike the first round encounter between UE and UST where UST led the entire game. This time, UE meant serious business, and they did just that. At first UST was leading, then suddenly, UE's shots started sinking in, and UST's defense wasn't working; at halftime UE was up 30-24.

Realizing that their final four stint is at a big risk here, the Tigers tightened their defense and worked on their rebounding and offense as they went on a 7-2 run early in the third quarter to cut the lead to just 1. UE got back the lead to 37-33 but the hardworking Abdul put UST to within a point, 37-36 just in time for the fourth quarter.

Paulo Pe gave UST the lead after his hook shot, and the Tigers never looked back from there. With barely two minutes left, and UST with the 43-39 advantage, UE just could not get anything rolling for them. UST on the other hand started rebounding solidly especially on the offensive end, and after a Jeric Teng triple, the lead was up, 49-41. Jeric Fortuna and Karim Abdul sealed the win for the Tigers, as UE's final four hopes died down.

Abdul was named player of the game after finishing with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and three blocks.

It wasn't an all around good game for the Tigers as they were only shooting at 28%, but it was enough to give them the win. Defense was the key as they kept the Red Warriors to just 15 points in the last 20 minutes of the game. The Tigers will face Adamson on Saturday, September 3, and hope that momentum will stay on their side. They have to step up with their offense against the Falcons, and play tight defense the whole game if they want to beat the Adamson team.

Mathematically, final four hopes for NU and DLSU are still alive. I'm pretty sure they're wishing that UST starts losing and that they start winning. UST, on the other hand, should not let go of their advantage over these two teams. NU's still got Ateneo, Lasalle and UST. DLSU will still face UP, NU, and FEU. UST will still meet Adamson, FEU and NU. It's a tight race, UST's got their hands full, and it'll be a hard fought last three games. Things are looking bright for the team though. Consistency, tuloy tuloy lang, and 'wag tayong bibitaw. NEVER SAY DIE! BELIEVE! :)) Go USTe! Go Tigers! :)

UST started out their season 74 campaign strong. They've had good wins, but some heartbreaking losses as well. They are currently tied with the Green Archers for fourth with 4 wins and 5 losses. Thursday will be judgement day as UST faces DLSU to determine which team retains the fourth spot, while the other team falls to fifth.

Both teams lost in their recent games; UE shocked Lasalle while Ateneo didn't let UST upset them. Question now is who's going to bounce back big? Both teams will try and stay within the top four teams, so expect this match to be intense.

During their first round meeting, it looked like DLSU was easily going to take away the game from UST as the Green Archers led the Tigers 49-27 at halftime. Third quarter was a different story though as the Tigers woke up from their slump, used their 2-3 zone and held Lasalle to just 7 points for the whole quarter, bringing down the lead to 56-44. UST continued their furious rally in the fourth to close in at 72-71, before Jarelan Tampus missed both his freebies but rebounded for his own miss and sealed the win for the Archers, 74-71.

It was a game UST could have won, but was just a little too late. UST though bounced back from that loss by handling the Maroons their 7th loss, before the Tigers bowed down to the Blue Eagles again. I believe that game against the Blue Eagles is their worst. They should forget that and move on. Every game's a chance to learn something. I hope the Tigers realize that, and use the lessons learned to their advantage.

After DLSU, the Tigers will still face UE, Adamson, FEU, and NU. They were able to win over UE and NU in the first round, but were defeated by Adamson, and that heartbreaking loss to FEU. The Tigers cannot afford to lose starting Thursday if they want to finish fourth. Of course it's every team's mission to win in every game that they have, and the Tigers need to work doubly hard since all teams are now on full attack mode. Tighter defense, better offense.

I am happy with the way they are progressing in the UAAP though; yes there are still some lapses here and there, but they are so much more improved than last season. Abdul, Fortuna, and Teng should lead the team from here on. I wish to see the Kevin Ferrer we saw during the first round meeting of UE and UST though. After that game, Ferrer seems to be lost, or could it be that he's now more of a defender than a scorer. Chris Camus has been a monster rebounder but I think he needs to pile up on those points as well because I know he can. I also wish that UST's bench step up more to the challenge whenever Coach Pido lets them play. Also, consistency is an important key; what you started in the first quarter, you should match until the fourth, or even surpass it. And of course, NEVER-SAY-DIE.

Sabi nga ni Coach Pido, there's no way to go but up. We're already here. Tuloy tuloy na natin! Trabaho lang every game, at sipag, kaya 'yan. Go Tigers! 

P.S.
I believe Afuang is the only player who'll graduate after this season, so next year's Tigers are still intact, and hopefully Bautista, Mariano, and Daquioag will be back for more reinforcement for the Tigers...plus that kid who scored 104, I hope he goes to the black-gold-black-white side too.

P.P.S.
Petron just won in the PBA, Coach Pido should be inspired and in high spirits. Go Coach! =))

After winning their first two assignments this season against the NU Bulldogs and the UE Red Warriors, the Growling Tigers found themselves with a three-game losing skid bowing down to Adamson, Ateneo and FEU. They bounced back though at the expense of the Fighting Maroons, but wasn't quite enough for a back to back win as they lost to the Archers in the closing day of the first round of eliminations.

Nothing to be ashamed of though. The Tigers have been fighting tough as they still got a chance at a final four spot. Inconsistency's still there sometimes, and they have to work on that or else they might find themselves struggling once again. We don't want a repeat of last year's fate for sure. They shouldn't have the so-called endgame meltdowns anymore as it may cost them the entire game, even if they've been playing very well for the first three quarters.

Last year UST was a very offensive team. This year though, they're starting to play more on the defensive side, and it has worked. Though I think when they played defense, their offense kind of dropped. They still won games though, but it might be a problem especially with a squad like Adamson who just keep on shooting three's at anytime of the day. So they have to work on those shots. The Tigers have also been dubbed as one of the very physical teams now in the UAAP with their style. I believe they wanted to do this since although they have Abdul on the inside, they still lack height, so it's the only way they could at least stop their bigger opponents.

Kevin Ferrer is suddenly on a slump. I haven't seen or heard much from him, so I hope he gets his act together and he becomes the threat that he should be once again. Karim Abdul has been improving every game which is really a good sign for the Tigers. Jeric Teng and Jeric Fortuna has been doing great spearheading the team, while Camus, Afuang and the rest are steadily getting there. Though they've still got errors in their plays, and their second stringers still need to step it up, I think once UST gets their games going, then we really do have a chance at that final four spot.

Let's get 'em wins! Laban lang ng laban, go Tigers! :)

First week of August has flown by really fast! Don't you think? And I know it's about time I update my blog!

Though this is a bit late, it's worthy of a blog post, really. This doesn't happen very often and I'm very happy that it did!

Last July 30, I had a long date with Mom. Actually this has been going on for a while now, spontaneous mall visits, movies, and food trips of course. Wala, nahihilig lang gumala. It won't be complete without the food trip. =))

Our agenda for July 30 was go to Mercato to support Joyce, my college friend who is currently studying at CCA (Center for Culinary Arts), and to watch the UST-FEU game. Yes, I got my Mom, finally, to watch a UAAP game with me. =)) Our next project is the Shakey's V-League.

I just found a post regarding the schedule of UAAP men's basketball games for the first round of eliminations for Season 74. After all the issues going around, I hope this is final.

And here's what I think.

I'm not sure about the games being held earlier. First game starts at 1pm, second game starts at 3pm. According to the post, this is probably to be able to still play at Araneta even if there's a scheduled PBA game that day, which are usually scheduled at 5:30 pm and/or 7pm. I'm not sure if I'd still prefer the 2pm and 4pm games over this; well at least I/we get to go home earlier after the game, haha. We'll have to wait and see. (Good luck if games go on overtime. Remember Adu vs. UST last season going on triple overtime?)

The Ateneo-Lasalle match is scheduled early this year. Last year it wasn't until the 7th playing date, but this year it's at the first Saturday schedule of the season. Excited? Or they just want to get it over and done with early? I want to watch it this time. Good luck with the tickets. =))

UST's first game, against NU, is scheduled on a Thursday. Ugh, won't be able to watch.

There are only 3 play dates in the first round with the Philsports Arena as the venue, kind of expected. Though I thought I would be seeing the Blue Eagle gym as one of the venues. Probably it would be used for other sports. Kind of a good thing since Araneta's way bigger than Ultra, and I think you could buy tickets ahead of time. But what I liked about Ultra is that even though you're seated at their General Admission area, it's like you're seated at the Lower Box in Araneta. And you could easily go down the court, then to the dugouts, LOL. Players are more easily accessible. =))

There will be a meeting on July 5 regarding the eligibility of players in the teams' line ups. I wonder what would happen if suddenly they won't allow Bobby Parks or Greg Slaughter to play. *wishful thinking* It seems kind of impossible already that Slaughter won't be allowed to play. As for Parks though, it's a different story. If I'm not mistaken, they're saying that foreigners have to have two years of residency; Parks only has one. We'll see.

Yes, I'm excited. =)) GO Tigers!

P.S.
Ryan Buenafe's not playing for the Blue Eagles. 260 lbs.?! HELLO?!

3 days! =D

After 7 months or so, I found myself sitting again inside the venue, on the sidelines, waiting for the match to start. It was the opening day for the 2011 Filoil Flying V Preaseason tournament. It was actually my first time to watch a preseason tournament, and what better way to start than with the much-awaited match up between the UAAP and NCAA champs, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the San Beda Red Lions. Followed by my beloved alma mater's team, the UST Growling Tigers going up against the DLSU Green Archers.

I was very excited for this day because of a number of reasons. First, because I get to watch college basketball again even if it's not the UAAP season yet, second because I get to see the Tigers in action again, and third, I get to check out their new recruits and how different they are from the Tigers last season. I get to see the other teams' recruits as well and what we could expect from them come the UAAP season.

Aaaaaand I’m back! Because I don’t want this month to end without another blog post from me, let me just give you some updates.

I haven’t blogged about it yet, but I, together with my mom and my brother, went to the Panagbenga Festival 2011 in Baguio. Then the weekend right after that, I was back in Baguio for our company outing. I promise I will blog about those trips once I’ve transferred the pictures.

For the past few days, a friend has been confiding regarding a problem that he has. It is very surprising since we are really not that close, but ever since this unfortunate event, he has considered me to be one of his close friends. Ironic as it may sound but I am happy that I could help other people just by listening to them, and giving advices from time to time, and bonus is I’m gaining friends! Thank you! :)

In other news, the Azkals qualified for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup! This is just another reason for Pinoys to celebrate and be proud of our country, especially these people who represent our country. Congratulations!

And in other sports news, the UST Tigers mean serious business in preparation for the coming UAAP Season 74. They have joined three leagues, the 2011 MBL Open basketball championship, the PBA D-League, and the 2011 FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup which is the main preseason summer tournament between UAAP and NCAA teams. The MBL is not as popular as the other two leagues, but will still help the Tigers in the same way. They currently have two wins and no loss yet in the MBL, where they play as the UST-Ironcon Builders. UST is the only UAAP team to join the MBL.

Having a centennial celebration is something.

Just because I’ve missed writing about basketball. And I've been reading all these news about it.

I could actually write about the on-going PBA Philippine Cup but I don’t follow it as faithfully as the UAAP to give justice to whatever it is that I might write; so I’m sticking with college basketball.

2011 has opened up to some surprising news about college basketball. A lot of decisions are awaited and are being made, which makes spectators (including me of course!) more excited for the next UAAP basketball season even if the current UAAP season is not yet done. Since there are only more or less three months before high school seniors receive their diplomas, college basketball fans are looking forward to hearing where a number of high school standouts, be it in the UAAP or NCAA, are headed.

For the Tigers at least...

UST ended their UAAP Season 73 Men’s Basketball campaign placing 7th overall in the standings. Considering the team’s fourth place finish in Season 72 with a 6-8 record, and fifth place finish in Season 71 with the same win-loss record, this is a whole different story. But then, we also have to consider the fact that they had veterans Dylan Ababou and Khasim Mirza back then, who have now both graduated and have suited up for the Smart Gilas RP Team and the PBA, respectively.

So what was left of Coach Pido’s team? Third years and sophomores, a number of rookies plus new recruits, as well as relegates from team B. A young team indeed which made pre-season critics put them at the bottom of the food chain, predicting that they were to finish dead last in the tournament. There was no definite veteran left in the team as all eyes were set on Jeric Teng, UAAP Season 72 ROY, to help lead the Tigers together with third years Clark Bautista, Jeric Fortuna, Chris Camus, Melo Afuang, and fellow sophomore Aljon Mariano.

My blog was actually featured on Yahoo! College hoops! Yes, this actual blog! Don’t want to believe me? Click here then!

I’m just very happy that they took time to recognize my support for the UST Growling Tigers and my blog. Though still, my dreams, hopes of a lot of comments in my posts still weren’t achieved, at least my blog got some exposure. As well as the author, haha! My friends were very happy for me, as much as I was very surprised when I saw the article. Yahoo! College Hoops for the win!