Tuesday, July 1, 2008

UAAP Season 71: Count UST in the Battle!

With the most number of overall championships in the UAAP (10 consecutive & 35 overall titles) in its sleeves, UST should not be discounted in this UAAP 71st Season.

Opening rites will be on Saturday & darn I won’t be able to see it. What’s more is that I won’t be around to watch the games. Before I made the decision to move here in Cebu, the UAAP games weighed so much as I had to make the consideration to let go of it.

I’ve been a UAAP-UST fan (‘die hard’ fan at that) since 1994 & I was active through the years as a spectator of the Tigers’ games. It was only in 1996-1998 that I missed the league as I was out of town doing an important work. Nevertheless, I was stained by the glorious blood that was drawn from the De LaSalle Green Archers in those historic season victories of 1994-1996. That was a grand slam of conquest over the Archers!

Through the years, I was an eye-witness of the Tigers’ rise to glory & its decline to the cellar. In 2006, my long awaited championship in 10 years happened before my eyes as UST incredibly outdone the Ateneo Blue Eagles to win its 19th Men’s Basketball Title (the most number of MBB Titles in the UAAP).

Despite that glorious comeback, UST failed to defend the title last season.

As excitement is undeniably felt as the 71st season begins this weekend, I am unfulfilled as I am away from the event, being unable to tangibly witness ‘Tiger Power’ & the ‘Black-Gold-White’ frenzied Thomasian crowd. All these years I’ve been part of that crowd, born of school-spirit, cheering my heart out for the Growling Tigers.


My heart breaks even more knowing that the team brought in good recruits. In contrast, FEU & ADMU has become stronger from last season, while DLSU, as always, is the team to beat. This equate to an exciting season!

As a synopsis, The 15th Parallel website has this to say about UST:

Overview: The 2006 UAAP Basketball Champion UST Tigers came short of their title defense last year by virtue of losing to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the step-ladder format of the semifinals. The Tigers were best remembered last year, especially by the La Salle fans, for the 4th quarter and overtime scare that the Tigers gave to the Archers which La Salle would rather forget. This year, UST again returns to the battleground with their unpredictable and never-say-die attitude of basketball. They return to the hardcourt with their unrelenting resolve and determination. Nothing much will change for UST save for some rookies that will enter in place of the veterans who have departed.Why should you root for them: Jervy Cruz, Pido Jarencio, Japs Cuan's desperate attempt to make a shot that's not a layup and Chester "I almost have no business playing in the UAAP" Taylor.

Roster Changes: Most notable departures for the Tigers will be Espiritu (first name forgotten), June Dizon and Jun Cortez. Two of the additions will be Allen Maliksi from the planet X and the rare recruitment of Jeric Fortuna from DLSZ. Milan Vargas and Chris Camus, whose origins are still unknown, will also both suit up for the black-gold black-white this season. Shooter Clark Bautista will also be one of the up and coming rookies for the Tigers. Despite the influx of youth in to the UST lineup, there will be a lot of incoming senior players this season for UST and most notable of them is incoming senior guard Japs Cuan. Ah, better freethrow shooting for UST. Main fixtures will be people like Jervy Cruz, Dylan Ababou, Khasim Mirza, etc. Coach Pido Jarencio will most likely be fielding the same starting lineup from last year.

Bench: According to research of T15P, the bench of UST will mostly be composed of young and upcoming guns, but do not be deceived as they have a lot of firepower, especially with Bautista, Maliksi, Camus and Fortuna around. It's really hard to figure out the current bench of UST as it is filled with mostly unknowns and rookies who are deceptively good. They have guys who can quickly put points in the board and they also have guys who will be specially tasked to hustle and be the bruisers for the team. All of them are surprises waiting to happen except for Clark Bautista who was a sought-after commodity in the summer recruitment battle, notably pursued by UST and Ateneo. 4th year shooter Dylan Ababou will figure in a leading role with UST's bench, according to the research.

Gameplan: Offensively, their first option will obviously be Jervy Cruz in the middle and Pido Jarencio will just let Jervy beat the hell out of clueless big men in the middle of the shaded lane. This is also the play to get all of those rebounds for Jervy. Japs Cuan will not be allowed to shoot away within 2ft of the basket while Dylan Ababou and Khasim Mirza will be allowed to fire away at their heart's content. Cuan, however, will do the drive and drop at will. His main recipient will be Cruz. Or some other Tiger lost in the shaded lane. Expect that Cuan will also do the drive and draw for the shooters. Even though he can't hit anything that's not a layup.

Go-to-guy: I'm guessing you're thinking Jervy Cruz right now. What? It's not a trick question. Ass. It's really Jervy Cruz. The 3rd year big man will be the focal point of the UST offense while Japs Cuan will be the driving force with his daredevil drives. God forbid that it's his shooting. With a double-double and a MVP season for Jervy Cruz last year, there's no doubt that he is the top tiger for the Tigers this season.

Outlook: Final four contender; can beat anyone in the playing field. One of the upcoming season's dark horses. Playing under the radar will definitely be UST's theme this season.

The Thomasian heart within me is pounding in anticipation for another UST comeback. Nevertheless, because of the number of rookies in the team, yet promising at that, I can take on this season as the building phase in preparation for the 400-yr feat in 2011. If a UST championship can brew from the outskirts, that wouldn’t be bad at all.



11 comments:

Hisbenz said...

so this is what you call "apathetic" and "indifferent" for the upcoming uaap? hehe. You'll definitely miss the pre and post skirmish of the games.

UST's roster this year is a spectrum of talent and character. Good luck to our team.

Viva UST

Anonymous said...

There are endless combinations of yummy foods we can create with such a device. [url=http://www.mulberryhandbagssale.co.uk]Mulberry uk[/url] We may logically know that we should respond in one way whilst our emotions are screaming at us to respond in an entirely different manner. [url=http://www.goosecoatsale.ca]canada goose[/url] Fnlsqurvy
[url=http://www.pandorajewelryvip.co.uk]pandora Sale[/url] Gruqtufmo http://www.officialcanadagooseparkae.com cdaqmwajk

Anonymous said...

Technology is quickly disrupting one of the oldest industries in the country, fashion. north face backpacks This scarf enjoy is the hairdresser professional nursing ha! The last to finalize the design is a key point. http://www.wellnorthface.com Its resonance with my own fascination with this project was fascinating, but although an excellent book, it didn have that mysterious combination of content and timing that inspires me to write a review.. http://www.lateuggboots.com The world inside Fantasy Shopper is not noisy yet, largely because the beta was very limited and this is a soft launch. ghds "We currently don't have an indoor pool or recreation center of that size and scope," said Gaska.

Anonymous said...

Tucking your top would not be a very good option. ghd store It is well-known that accessories make or break an outfit so we must make sure that when it comes to our wardrobes, nothing goes wrong this season. north face outlet This is real treat for all the mothers out there who are left with the terrifying task of shopping for everyone, not to mention wrapping everything once they're done. ghd online His classic bumblebee neckla [ Elizabeth May 15, 2012The above is one of my most prized photos. ugg canada The event brought in over $400k to fund research initiatives and other special programs.

Anonymous said...

The two year old son of a schoolmate of mine somehow hanged himself over the back of a chair while his grandmother was him. north face outlet PHOTO: Dominique Maitre. north face jackets Moriarty wins if Holmes fails to hit him. ugg sale In fact, they will determine the dark complement each other. ghd She stands behind the education, motivation and confidence-building of "Girl Power" for young girls, and she is devoted to helping Moms find their voice under piles of soiled laundry, within the muck of grey dish water or somewhere amongst the SUVs and mini-vans in car line..

Anonymous said...

2012 street style We love the clothes that come down the runways at New York Fashion Week, but we just may love the fashionistas who attend even more! From fabulous fashion editors to the stylish celebrities in the front row, these ladies and their catwalk-worthy ensembles did not disappoint this season. http://www.morenorthface.com With the environment in mind andNewport Back Bay as inspiration, the muted color palette provides an ethereal backdrop for the wood used on the walls and soffits all reclaimed lumber salvaged from old canneries in Northern California; and in the wine and dairy areas, used wine tank staves, stained deep purple and light red from the wine in the barrels, were used on the walls. http://www.fitghdhair.com The coat was amazing, I'm going back for the jacket but I picked up a cute black t-shirt with graphics. ugg sale The materials to make it are cheaper than the jewelry itself and the time to construct it is not as much of an investment as you would think; this is just one advantage to wear costume jewelry, and you could even start selling fashion jewelry if you really enjoy making it.. north face jackets on sale They love being able to empower women everywhere by sharing the joys of sharing versus owning through their in-person events, blog, press appearances, and their upcoming e-book, of a Swapaholic four years of swapping professionally, and more than a decade of hosting swaps for friends family, The Swapaholics have become America favorite swap hostesses and internationally recognized sustainable style experts.

Anonymous said...

Get in touch if you are interested >. http://www.oneghdhair.com The good news is, there IS a compromise between style and substance sleek, tailored pants. http://www.verynorthface.com An industrial designer named Soledad Martin is working on a prototype to place kinetic energy harnesses in common shoes, allowing the wearer to charge a cell phone battery while they walk or run. north face outlet Custo Dalmau - a Spanish fashion designer - uses design as a means to transport wearers to his country; a locale filled with boisterous spirit and joy, brilliant colors and the thrill of life.. http://www.lateuggboots.com Another strategy involved content that was, I suppose, technically on the though it was online help topics that got viewed in a browser.

Anonymous said...

There are also other types of animal or insect shape of brooch, but I still prefer the butterfly brooch due to the nature and characteristic of the insect.. http://www.lateuggboots.com In short, each of the pieces in Resort 2013 references a past era, bringing turn-of-the-century elegance into the 21st century.. http://www.softuggboots.com You will discover pearls, diamonds, as well as other fashionable materials accessible in a necklace that you could select. http://www.oneghdhair.com Begin with an blending instrumentation from a angel dress. uggs canada It is named after Georges Pompidou, who was President of France from 1969 to 1974, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by the then-French President Valéry Giscard d your there, enjoy lunch or dinner at Restaurant Georges on the 6th floor.

Anonymous said...

Eating out on Kefalonia holidays will certainly not disappoint any visitors to the island, as traditional Greek restaurants are more about social dining than simply satisfying your hunger. ghd hair straightener You can do each one once. north face backpacks Soccer is an extremely physical sport, as many of you know. ugg boots canada i mean, who is responsable for choosing the way we promote ourselves? i dont know if i would be really great at photo or graphics. north face sale The styles however, were better suited for the streets of Miami rather than up here in the mountains..

Anonymous said...

Sixty-eight pounds is the amount of clothing and textiles that is thrown away in a year by North Americans. http://www.softuggboots.com Matt Owen, President of the Tipp City Area Chamber of Commerce, stated "the Chamber is well suited to promote businesses like this in the downtown" during the 1PM ribbon cutting ceremony that was attended by Mr. ugg canada Another thing about nail polish is that you can use it to draw or paint things on fabric and it won wash out. ghd rare leopard edition One of my favorite teams of designers who presented later in the evening was Emily Mellway and Morgan Monroe. http://www.fitghdhair.com The Asus Eee Pad Slider is an intriguing alternative to a traditional tablet plus a Bluetooth keyboard.

Anonymous said...

This is the Third Season that I am part of and we just launched it last week!. ghd In practice, this means you can use your preferences in each category to discover new music, or filter your music recommendations based on your tastes in film and nightlife, for example. north face sale I think it so much about street style when you are relaxed and fabulous at the same time you can afford imperfections yet you look absolutely perfect. north face He shared basic tips for anyone interested in working in PR. http://www.softuggboots.com But the battle against heart disease did not, and does not, end there.