Cholo Villanueva has been a fixture in the women’s basketball scene in the Philippines for over a decade, and he continues to seize every opportunity to elevate the sport.
Take October 19, 2025, as a perfect example.
It was Sunday, and Villanueva had a packed schedule with multiple teams under his wing. His two women’s squads — the De La Salle Lady Archers in the UAAP and the New Zealand Bluefire Batangas in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League — both had games.
At the same time, Villanueva is also the head coach of the Batangas-Tanduay team in the MPBL, which remains alive in the playoffs.
La Salle was set to play its sixth elimination-round game of the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament against the University of the Philippines at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, at 7:00 PM.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Bluefire Batangas tipped off against Tagaytay-Tol Patriots in Game 1 of their WMPBL semifinals series at the Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas City at 6:00 PM.
(C) WMPBL
Rather than choosing one over the other, Villanueva opted for both.
After securing an 81-62 victory over Tagaytay in Las Piñas around 8:00 PM, he immediately traveled to Quezon City to join the Lady Archers.
“Ball is life.
“Basketball has given me so much, and it’s basketball that I do every day. It’s a blessing,” Villanueva told Tiebreaker Times on Sunday evening.
Fortunately, the tip-off for the La Salle-UP matchup had been pushed slightly later, allowing him to arrive in time for the second quarter.
His presence energized the Lady Archers, who mounted a dominant second-half surge to secure an 88-59 win over the Fighting Maroons.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Having coached the La Salle women’s team since UAAP Season 78 (2015), Villanueva described his whirlwind Sunday as a small sacrifice he’s willing to make for the growth of the women’s game.
“I’ve been here in the women’s community for 10 years already, and I’m grateful for the women’s community now that it’s growing,” he said.
“Yung rightful attention of these women’s basketball players — their skills, their passion for the game, their love for the game — is starting to be seen all around the world now. So hopefully, we’re moving towards the right steps on making the women’s basketball community a big market dito sa atin.”
Villanueva came out a winner on Sunday, going 2-0 with his teams. But in truth, the sport itself is the biggest winner, benefiting from the dedication and presence of personalities like him in the women’s basketball scene.
