The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers lost another key player in Most Valuable Player Soulemane Chabi-Yo.
The 6’6” standout from Benin has decided to discontinue plans to play for the school on his final year with the UST Growling Tigers.
Instead Chabi-Yo will join a semi-professional league in Europe.
School officials confirmed the departure of Chabi-Yo through the university’s official website, varsitarian.net.
Chabi-yo informed the team’s new coach, Jinino Manansala, of his decision through a letter.
“For the past three years, I have been turning off (sic) so many offers in Europe. My plan was to finish my playing years in UST, but since COVID came, it destroyed everyone’s plan,” he wrote Manansala.
In leaving the team, Chabi-Yo became the ninth player to leave the Tigers’ camp
In September last year, 6’5” former Batang Gilas standout Bismarck Lina was the eighth cager to depart.
The 6’5” Lina originally committed to the Growling Tigers last February, but changed his mind and decided to accept an earlier invitation to suit for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
Lina, has joined former teammate CJ Cansino in the Maroons’ roster. Both will go through a yearlong residency period before they can suit up for the team in Season 84 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
Since controversy began with the Growling Tigers last August, nine players have left the team.
It began when Cansino moved over to the UP camp.
After that, Rhenz Abando, Ira Battaler and Brent Paraiso jumped over to Letran.
Then, Mark Nonoy and Deo Cuajao went to La Salle, while Jun Asuncion joined the Mapua Cardinals.
The exodus of players from the team started following a controversial training camp in Sorsogon at the height of the lockdowns imposed by the government during the pandemic.
Back then, coach Aldin Ayo gave up his post, with assistant coaches McJour Luib and Manansala also quitting.
Later, Manansala was installed as the team’s new head coach.