For UAAP Season 88, the Red Warriors are wearing jerseys with a typeface inspired by UE’s uniforms in the 1980s during Allan Caidic’s time.
The UE Red Warriors are looking to return to their winning ways in UAAP Season 88, and they already have the threads to prove it.
Despite losing their opening match on Sunday against the NU Bulldogs at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, the Red Warriors brought the flair with their jerseys — a vintage-inspired kit that had a typeface similar to the UE teams of the 1980s.
With the UE program looking to finally end a 16-year Final Four drought, the Red Warriors are hoping that the jerseys give them an added boost.
The mold of their current jerseys were what UE great Allan Caidic and company wore in the mid-1980s, including in 1985 where the Red Warriors last ruled the UAAP men’s basketball tournament in Season 48.
After their opening match against NU, UE veteran John Abate spoke about the impact of wearing the classic-inspired jerseys.
“I love it. It definitely means a lot to, not just me, but my teammates and also the community. We're giving the exposure that maybe they may not have gotten because social media wasn't that big back then,” Abate quipped.
“We wear this with a lot of pride and we need to be able to show that on and off the court.”
Not just threads
It’s not just about the jerseys, though, as Abate and the rest of the Red Warriors hope to replicate the success of the UE players of the past.
While they took a misstep in their first game of the season, the lesson continues to resound in Abate’s head.
“You've got to compete every day. The little things matter. Setting the screen or moving your foot this way,” he said.
“Everything comes down to a team about just being able to do, almost be perfect really. Execution, competing, you've got to do it all,” he continued.
Abate, who finished with 10 points, two rebounds, one steal, and one block against NU, will hope to bounce back for the UE community when he and the Red Warriors plunge back into action on Wednesday, September 24.
They play against Ateneo still at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.