The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons have put themselves back in a good position to return to the championship round of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament for the second straight season and you could see the outpouring of joy from the entire school community.
Bo Perasol, head coach of the Fighting Maroons and the rest of the squad, felt the early struggles but they were able to hurdle the challenges as they saw themselves contending for a potential championship round return via the step ladder phase of the tournament.
“This is the product of the program that we built three years ago and we’re now reaping the fruits of it,” Perasol said. “But the reason why we were so happy to make it to the step ladder was the fact that we were able to do it despite the struggles we had early in the season. It’s not easy.”
The entry of young, talented players like Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero has turned UP into a stacked team, yet it even made it more challenging for Perasol and his troops.
“My job here is not just to coach the team, but to manage them,” added Perasol. “Alam mo naman sa basketball, hindi puwedeng maraming bida. So the challenge for me is paano koi ma-manage ‘yung mga bida to play as one. Nandiyan si Kobe, nandiyan si Ricci, nandiyan pa si Bright (Akhuetie) and nandiyan rin si Juan (Gomez de Liano). So it was really a struggle for us, yet we were able to reach this far kaya I can understand the emotions.”
UP ended with the second best record in the UAAP by the end of the double-round eliminations and will be carrying a twice-to-beat advantage against the winner of the University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University tussle in the step ladder phase.
For JJ Atencio and Edrin Panganiban of STATS, UP’s staunch supporter over the past three seasons, seeing the Fighting Maroons secure the No. 2 spot at the end of the elimination round, summed up the successful partnership between their apparel brand and the up and coming collegiate squad that is determined to go all the way.
“I think the plan of putting up a solid team and equipping them in preparation for the UAAP season summed it up. The training that we had outside of the country had certainly made them ready for the big battles ahead in the UAAP. UP and our brand, STATS, had grown together and we’ve become a wining combination – UP as an up-and-coming team and STATS as a go-to apparel,” said Atencio, chairman of STATS and Januarius Holdings.
Panganiban added that the relationship they had established with the Fighting Maroons had somehow inspired them to come up with better innovations when it comes to apparel. STATS is a branded “athleisure” brand that is now making an impact in the sports and leisure industry.
“We were inspired by their journey and we hope for their continuous success. We would like to see them succeed in the same way that we wanted to grow and become the go-to destination when it comes to sports and leisure brands,” added Panganiban.