For the longest time, Chris Gavina’s rise in the Philippine basketball coaching scene has been closely tied to his multiple stints in the PBA.
Built on his experience with Mahindra/Kia (now Terrafirma) and Rain or Shine — alongside a brief coaching stint with the Taichung Suns in Taiwan’s T1 League — Gavina decided to take a leap of faith.
He accepted the head coaching role for a rebuilding University of the East team ahead of the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Although his UAAP debut ended in a wire-to-wire 72-57 defeat to the National University Bulldogs, Gavina walked out of the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena with a sense of accomplishment, finally getting a taste of the country’s “highest level of collegiate basketball.”
“Regarding the energy of the UAAP, it’s always something that I wanted to experience, and it’s tremendous. The highest level of collegiate basketball here in the Philippines [and] as a coach, that’s something you want to be a part of,” Gavina told members of the press on Sunday afternoon.
In the PBA, the game comes with the weight of experience, professionalism, and constant pressure to win in a league where every player is a seasoned veteran and every result directly impacts livelihoods.
The UAAP, meanwhile, presents a different challenge — one fueled by youthful exuberance and raw passion.
For Gavina, it’s that youthful spark — unpredictable, emotional, and deeply tied to tradition — that makes the UAAP stand out.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“The energy. To be honest with you, the fan base at the collegiate level is completely different than the PBA — the students, staff, and alumni come in joules and it’s something that I really take pride in, in what we’re representing,” the former Stevens Institute of Technology guard remarked.
Having previously coached players like Gabe Norwood, Santi Santillan, and Rey Nambatac in the PBA — and talents such as Tony Bishop, Diamond Stone, and Jordan Heading in the T1 League — Gavina acknowledged that professional players bring “a lot more maturity” compared to top collegiate talent.
Still, that expectation is part of rebuilding a Red Warriors side that saw the departures of Jack Cruz-Dumont, Ethan Galang, and Rain Maga, while welcoming key recruits like one-and-done guard Drayton Caoile, homegrown talent Kristoper Lagat, and rookies Mo Tanedo, Dylan Despi, Nurjadden Datumalin, and Jax Distrito.
“There’s a lot more maturity when you’re dealing with a lot more pros — they’ve gone through this fire before,” he said.
“When you get to the pro level, that’s the top one percent. You’re just really fine-tuning at a pro level compared to here, when you’re fine-tuning their emotional quotient or IQ of the game, or dealing with the maturity level of these younger players who haven’t had this level of experience.”
#WATCH: “IT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT” 🏀
Chris Gavina may have felt the sting of a tough UE debut, but he’s soaking in every moment of his #UAAPSeason88 journey ⚔️#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/ME4nPErI9l
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 21, 2025
