UAAP Season 88 host UST won over the DLSU Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons for the first time in a while. A lot has changed since then.
The UST Growling Tigers have started what is shaping up to be a breakout UAAP season, ending long-time losing skids against the UP Fighting Maroons and the DLSU Green Archers in their first two games of Season 88.
The last time UST beat UP was in the Final Four of Season 82, memorable for Renzo Subido's clutch hit over Bright Akhuetie to send the Tigers to the Finals.
However, the wait for UST's win over La Salle was far longer, as the Growling Tigers needed 10 years to finally snap a 16-game skid over the Green Archers with the resounding victory over the weekend.
[RELATED: UST fuels title contender tag with another huge win over La Salle in UAAP Season 88]
Much has changed since, so One Sports takes a look back at how things were in UAAP Season 78 — the last year that the Growling Tigers beat both UP and La Salle in the same edition of the tournament.
At the time, Bong dela Cruz was the head coach of the Growling Tigers, with Karim Abdul, Kevin Ferrer, Ed Daquioag, and Louie Vigil among the key pieces in a year that saw UST reach the Finals before losing to FEU in three games.
The rest of the field also looked quite different.
Who’s there at the sidelines?
Among the most glaring differences are the roles of coaches back in UAAP Season 78.
Current UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development Director Bo Perasol was not only playing a different role back in 2015, he was on the other side of Katipunan with the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
There, he was head coach from 2013 to 2016, which coincided with Kiefer Ravena’s last few years in the UAAP, before current head coach Tab Baldwin took over.
Since then, Perasol also coached the UP Fighting Maroons until 2021, leading them into breakthrough campaigns — most notably in UAAP Season 81 where they reached the finals. In UAAP Season 78, when UP wast host, the Fighting
Maroons were still in the midst of a decades-long drought of championships and Final Four appearances, finishing only with a 3-11 record that year.
It’s not only Perasol, though, as current Adamson head coach Nash Racela was still with the FEU Tamaraws then, leading them to the championship against the Growling Tigers.
In the years in between, Racela has switched over to San Marcelino, while the Tamaraws also had Racela’s brother Olsen calling the shots in the years before former PBA import Sean Chambers took over the reins in UAAP Season 87.
Pro vets in the UAAP
Of course, with changes happening with coaches, players also come and go in the UAAP landscape.
The last time UST beat La Salle, notable players include Kiefer Ravena still with Ateneo, while RR Pogoy and Mac Belo were also still with the FEU Tamaraws.
They have all since turned pro, with Pogoy still active in the PBA with TNT while Ravena is now in Japan for the Yokohama B-Corsairs.
The Rookie of the Year then was Andrei Caracut for La Salle, and the spitfire guard also turned pro since, now playing for Rain or Shine in the PBA.
Notably, the Green Archers missed the Final Four in Season 78, but would later rebound to win the title in Season 79.
Stars rising
While there were vets already deep in the mix in the UAAP, some were still starting out in the juniors tournament.
Multi-titled Carl Tamayo was playing for the Adamson Baby Falcons and was named Rookie of the Year in the high school division — years before playing for the UP Fighting Maroons and leading them to the breakthrough title run in UAAP Season 84.
Fellow UP standouts Javi and Juan Gomez de Liaño, who are now set for a reunion in the PBA, were still playing for the UP Integrated School, where they flourished before playing for the Fighting Maroons in the seniors tournament.
SJ Belangel, who is now entering his fourth season in the Korean Basketball League, was also playing still for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets.
Like Tamayo, Belangel was also able to break into the seniors tournament with the Blue Eagles, winning the UAAP championship before heading overseas for his professional career.
UST’s future ahead
While much has changed within the 10 years in between UST’s wins over La Salle and UP, one thing is for certain for the Growling Tigers.
There is much to be excited for the team and their supporters in the near future with Pido Jarencip settling into his second stint with UST and a new batch of stars in Collins Akowe, Nic Cabañero, and Forthsky Padrigao.
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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.