Winning a championship in the UAAP is one of the grandest achievements any coach can attain. For many basketball coaches who have found success in the league, it became a stepping stone to bigger opportunities in the professional ranks.
Despite the possibilities that his UAAP VALORANT Tournament triumph might bring, De La Salle University coach Xavier Juan admits that he still wants to pursue his professional playing career after a brief return to his collegiate team.
“Deep inside, I’m still a player. My passion is to compete. Playing, not coaching. Maybe in the future I’ll coach after getting experience here, like having a backup plan. But honestly, I still wanna compete, and I know I can still compete,” Juan told Tiebreaker Times in an exclusive interview.
Juan, who competes under the in-game name “xavi8k,” played VALORANT professionally from 2021 until he left his last team, Oasis Gaming, earlier this month.
Over the past three years, the 22-year-old Business Management student has made waves in the professional scene, with stints at prestigious esports organizations like Sunsparks, Bren Esports, and Oasis Gaming.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
His long list of accolades includes championships in the Predator League Philippines 2024 and the Predator Esports Circuit 2024. He was also part of the Sibol National team that won a bronze medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last year.
“I started the La Salle VALORANT team in 2020. We won five straight championships. After that, I decided to go pro,” recalled Juan, reflecting on his journey in the VALORANT scene in the Philippines.
Under his leadership, La Salle’s Viridis Arcus became one of the most successful collegiate VALORANT teams in the country, serving as his training ground before pursuing greatness in the professional scene.
“Now that I left my pro team, I have more time to coach my VA players. Of course, I still wanna play. I saw the stage. When I see a stage like that, it makes me really wanna compete. But it’s okay. The boys deserve to be on that stage. They put in the hard work and discipline. They really wanted it. Coaching them was enough for me,” he shared.
Due to the guidelines set by the UAAP, which state that players must not hold a Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Esports Athlete license with an expiration later than May 31, 2023, Juan was unable to compete in the league despite meeting all other eligibility criteria.
“They did good. They followed what I said, and they performed. I have no regrets that I didn’t get to play in the UAAP,” he added.
“I feel proud of my players. They’re all young. They don’t have much experience yet. With a stage that big, pressure will get to you, and it showed during the UP game. Even if they got pressured, they still won the UP game, and coming into the grand finals, there was no pressure at all. They performed superbly in the grand finals.”
